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In a teasing transfer development, a West Ham United source has lifted the lid on a new transfer priority for manager David Moyes this summer (Football Insider). 

The Lowdown: Moyes eyeing summer deals

As relayed by club insiders Claret & Hugh, Moyes wishes to strengthen his squad with marquee additions and it is believed that the signing of a striker and a permanent deal for Manchester United ace Jesse Lingard are priorities.

Lingard recently returned to his parent club after a phenomenal loan spell with the Hammers during the second half of 2020/2021.

The Englishman racked up nine goals whilst assisting four others under Moyes and there is a belief that the Irons boss is ‘desperate’ to see him return to east London permanently (Evening Standard).

The Latest: West Ham source lifts lid on new priority…

According to Football Insider, an Irons source has claimed that West Ham and Moyes now have an ‘equally big’ transfer priority this summer alongside both the Lingard permanent deal and a new forward.

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Indeed, West Ham are now apparently on the hunt for a ‘top level’ centre back with GSB now willing to spend big money to sign one this summer.

Moyes wants a commanding presence to marshal his back four and build his defence around with David Sullivan now ready to mandate scouting for elite defenders who could be tempted by West Ham.

The Verdict: Exciting…

While signing a new defender is debatably not as crucial as bringing in a new striker or Lingard, especially considering the lack of depth up front if Michail Antonio gets injured again, this still comes as an exciting claim.

It could highlight GSB’s ambition to provide Moyes with some strength in depth for the all-important 2021/2022 campaign – a season in which they will be competing in Europe.

A top level centre-half could certainly be a huge boost for West Ham and their manager and the notion West Ham are willing to properly back the gaffer comes as even more exciting.

In other news: West Ham fans rave as Sky share this ‘huge news’, find out more here.

Crystal Palace face competition from fellow Premier League side Everton for their first-choice managerial target Nuno Espirito Santo.

What’s the story?

According to TalkSport, the Toffees are set to rival Palace for the 47-year-old’s services after his surprising exit from Wolves just over a week ago.

Espirito Santo had been the favourite to fill the vacancy at Selhurst Park following extensive talks with the south London outfit’s hierarchy, but Carlo Ancelotti’s sudden departure from Everton has significantly altered the managerial landscape.

Fans will be gutted

The Portuguese manager is widely thought to have been in conversation with the Eagles over the last three days as they attempt to lure the highly-regarded tactician into an immediate Premier League return.

Espirito Santo’s exploits during a four-year-stint with Wolves had done enough to impress Palace chairman Steve Parish, who is keen to appoint him as Roy Hodgson’s successor this summer, and it looked as though a deal was close to being agreed.

However, Zinedine Zidane’s decision to leave his role as Real Madrid boss has caused an unlikely domino effect.

The Frenchman’s exit has seen Los Blancos president Florentino Perez turn to 61-year-old Ancelotti for a second time during his reign after the Italian delivered the Champions League in his first stint, meaning Everton are now also searching for a new manager.

Unfortunately for Palace, the Merseyside outfit are a considerably more attractive option for an ambitious manager like Espirito Santo.

Everton boast a far bigger budget, a better playing squad, with stars such as James Rodriguez and Dominic Calvert-Lewin to call upon, and a new state of the art stadium on the horizon.

Therefore, news that the Toffees are lining up a move for the former Porto and Valencia man will surely leave the capital club’s supporters gutted as they prepare themselves for a turbulent summer.

Whoever is finally appointed as Hodgson’s replacement will have a tough task ahead of them, and a highly-rated manager with several years of top-flight experience behind him such as Espirito Santo appeared to be an ideal fit.

Hopefully, the Eagles can still get the former Wolves manager in. However, Everton’s interest will not have made their task of getting him any easier and Palace fans will rightly be gutted if Nuno ends up at Goodison Park.

And, in other news…Parish must sanction CPFC swoop for “unbelievable” £36m-rated gem who’s “Drogba-esque” 

Phil Foden has delighted numerous Manchester City supporters after winning the Premier League Young Player of the Season award [Manchester Evening News].

In a sparkling campaign, the 21-year-old dazzled fans and pundits alike as he registered 14 goal contributions from 28 Premier League appearances, with nine goals and five assists in the division [Transfermarkt].

Following a season in which he helped the club to a Premier League and Carabao Cup double [Manchester City], the man famously dubbed the ‘Stockport Iniesta’ is now set to be a major player in England’s Euro 2020 bid as he was called up to Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad [Eurosport].

In terms of his Young Player of the Season accolade, few could argue against Foden missing out on the prize. Integral to the Citizens’ offensive weaponry, it’s little wonder that so many Manchester City supporters took to Twitter to revel in this news.

City fans react to Foden’s award

Here is what some Manchester City fans had to say about Foden’s Premier League recognition, with one supporter dubbing the 21-year-old a “special guy”:

“Completely deserved”

Credit: @MiIton47

“Most goals and assists compared to the nominees + standout performances = deserved win”

Credit: @Messiregen47

“congrats starboy”
Credit: @mxnciteh

“Special guy”
Credit: @I_am_Karrl

“Never in doubt”
Credit: @Darlanjude

“Our pride and joy”
Credit: @TendzzXO

In other news, these City fans have been reacting to a recent update on a club stalwart. 

Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Brighton and Hove Albion defender Ben White ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to the Daily Mail, the 23-year-old has attracted the attention of several top sides, including United, following an impressive maiden campaign in the Premier League, resulting in a call up to the England squad for Euro 2020.

The report claims that Brighton have slapped a £50 million price tag on White’s head in order to fend off the likes of United, Liverpool and Arsenal, who are all thought to be monitoring the youngster’s progress.

Solskjaer will be gutted

After helping Leeds United claim the Championship title in 2019/20 during a successful loan spell, White returned to his parent club last summer and made the step up to the top-flight look easy.

It didn’t take long for the talented star to make his mark in England’s top division, earning praise from Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp back in September.

“I have got to mention Ben White. There is a centre-back there who is going to go right to the top. He is so comfortable on the ball; you can see why Leeds wanted to keep him,” said the former Liverpool midfielder.

“That young man is destined for an amazing future, he’s comfortable on the ball, brilliant defensively, and I love him.”

Marcelo Bielsa’s men tried to purchase the centre-back on a permanent basis 12 months ago but were ultimately unsuccessful following a string of bids reaching £25m.

White went on to make 36 appearances for the Seagulls last season as the south coast club finished in a respectable 16th position, and White’s imposing performances, added to him getting England recognition, have seen his valuation rocket.

An injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold opened the door for the youngster in Gareth Southgate’s England squad, seeing White’s reputation and price tag rise even further, spelling bad news for his potential suitors.

United are thought to be on the lookout for a new partner for Harry Maguire in the heart of the Red Devils’ defence, but whether Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is prepared to splash out £50m on a man with just one season of Premier League football under his belt in questionable.

The Old Trafford outfit finished 12 points behind table-toppers Manchester City in the recently concluded campaign, in part down to their inferior defensive record.

Pep Guardiola’s charges leaked 12 fewer efforts than their city rivals, highlighting the need for defensive reinforcements on the red half of Manchester.

With the pandemic continuing to have a negative effect upon football’s finances, even clubs like United are on the lookout for a bargain this summer, and White’s new valuation is far from a cut-price deal.

Whilst White’s international recognition is great for him, it will be gutting for Solskjaer as he could well be priced out of a move for the young defender.

And, in other news…Man Utd must avoid “absolutely shocking” £35m prodigy, he’s not good enough 

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith should look to gazump Leicester in their bid to sign Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard, amid Gabby Agbonlahor’s transfer claim.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months have suggested that the Hoops’ striker is someone Dean Smith’s side are looking at, but they now appear to face increasing competition in the race to sign him, with claims that Leicester are keen on tying up a deal.

Now, Agbonlahor has urged his former side to act, and insisted that Edouard could be the perfect foil for Watkins as either some much-needed cover or someone to play with him.

He said: “I’ve said it for so long about Edouard, I rate him highly. If I had the money, I’d buy him myself. I think he’s outstanding and I’d love him at Aston Villa as the second striker behind Watkins.

“I think he’d be an outstanding player to bring on during games or to help Watkins. I think Aston Villa should hijack Leicester and go and get him. I watched him and he reminds me of (Moussa) Dembele when he was at Celtic. They’re both similar players and at his age, he can only get better.”

Lange must act

Given that Leicester haven’t yet signed him up just yet, Johan Lange still has the perfect chance to act and steal a march on the Foxes and seal a deal for Edouard.

The £13.5m-rated marksman has bagged an impressive 83 goals in just 168 games for Celtic and has even managed a very decent total of 37 assists too.

His former Celtic boss, Neil Lennon, has previously raved about the qualities that Edouard brings to the table, and it’s a ringing endorsement of why Villa should be going after him.

He said: “He’s hugely important (to us), he’s an outstanding footballer, talismanic almost, he’s so talented, so cool and he had two great finishes. He’s up there with some of the best we’ve had over the last 20 odd years.”

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If Villa are looking for someone to provide some competition for Watkins, then Edouard fits that bill to a tee. With Celtic in the midst of a rebuild under a new manager, the Midlands club could swoop in and take advantage of the likely disruption the Hoops find themselves in at the moment.

Meanwhile, Villa could form a superb partnership with this star…

Paul Stewart believes the reported incoming appointment of Paulo Fonseca will end any hopes of Harry Kane still being a Tottenham player next season.

The 27-year-old has already reiterated his desire to leave Spurs to be regularly playing in the Champions League and challenging for major honours.

However, Tottenham fans would have been hoping that a high-profile appointment to replace Jose Mourinho might have just convinced the England captain to stick around for another 12 months despite Spurs failing to qualify for Europe’s elite competition once more.

Mauricio Pochettino returning could have done exactly that, whilst Antonio Conte’s history of winning would have surely given Kane something to think about.

But with Fonseca, whose managerial CV is hardly inspiring, on the verge of ending Spurs’ near two months wait to name a Mourinho replacement, former-Spurs man Stewart has resigned to the fact that Kane will be leaving.

And he exclusively told Football FanCast that Fonseca’s imminent arrival will confirm his decision:

“If he was 70/30 about leaving, that’s just made him 100 percent say ‘see you later Spurs, I’m off, because you’ve shown a lack of ambition of appointing a manage that didn’t succeed in Serie A’ and therefore, you’ve made my mind up completely.’ “

West Ham manager David Moyes ought to ramp up his pursuit of Sampdoria winger Mikkel Damsgaard as the Denmark international continues to impress at Euro 2020.

What’s been said?

Back in February, Italian outlet La Republicca claimed that the Irons would battle Premier League rivals Tottenham for the 20-year-old gem this summer, with Juventus, Southampton and Leeds also mooted with interest.

The Athletic recently added fuel to the fire by suggesting that Damsgaard could be the perfect alternative to Jesse Lingard as a hugely cost-effective option.

After the past week, Moyes will surely be eager to press ahead with plans to sign him.

Dazzling for Denmark

On the same day that West Ham’s Andriy Yarmolenko flopped in another big game, failing to impress as Ukraine lost to Austria, the Irons transfer target scored one of the goals of the tournament so far for Denmark, continuing his excellent showing on the biggest stage.

Damsgaard received the ball from Spurs’ Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on the half-turn before curling a stunning effort past the Russia goalkeeper to become Denmark’s youngest-ever scorer at a major competition.

It’s no wonder several Premier League clubs are eyeing up his services, so Moyes must ensure it’s the Hammers who are at the front of the queue.

As per SofaScore, the Sampdoria prodigy is among the best-performing attackers at the competition, having recorded six successful dribbles, four shots and two key passes, earning a 7.25 average rating on top of his wonder goal.

The addition of a new winger is probably the last of West Ham’s priorities this transfer window but the Danish sensation can also play centrally, and with Yarmolenko’s future up in the air, that need could soon increase.

During the 2020/21 campaign, the £26m-rated dynamo provided Leicester’s former title-winning boss Claudio Ranieri with two goals and four assists but also proved to be a standout with his work rate by averaging 1.5 dribbles and 1.2 tackles per game in Serie A, via WhoScored.

Rainieri has described him as a “child prodigy”, whilst TV2’s football expert Martin Mikkelsen deemed him “magical” during commentary back in January this year.

If Damsgaard continues to take Euro 2020 by storm, that would surely increase his suitors and asking price, which was thought to be around €20m (£18m) at one stage.

Therefore, Moyes absolutely needs to accelerate his plans to sign the Denmark international or risk losing out on him entirely.

AND in other news, Moyes can secure West Ham their own Kante in swoop for “powerful” £14m-rated “machine”…

Birmingham City winger Amari Miller looks set to depart St. Andrew’s this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that Leeds United have agreed an initial £200k deal, potentially rising to £1.5m with performance-related add-ons, for the transfer of the 18-year-old forward.

The report goes on to state that, barring any issues with the final paperwork, the deal appears to be all but done, with Miller set to link up with Marcelo Bielsa’s side on July 1st.

Football Insider also claim that Lee Bowyer had hoped to keep the academy graduate on the Blues’ books this summer, and had offered the 18-year-old a professional contract after impressing over his two-year scholarship at Wast Hills.

Fans will be livid

While Miller had not yet established himself in the Birmingham City first team, having made just five appearances for Bowyer’s side, it is clear that many at the club held high hopes for his future at St. Andrew’s.

Indeed, Bowyer himself singled out the winger for praise towards the back end of last season, revealing that he had a plan for Miller’s future at the club.

The 44-year-old stated his belief that the Blues youngster “is a good player who has got great potential,” before going on to claim that Miller adds “goals, assists [and] pace” to the Birmingham side, as well as suggesting that that 18-year-old is “fearless” going forwards.

Bowyer added that he likes Miller “as a person” due to “his manners” and his “respectful” nature, while the Birmingham boss also revealed that “the senior players love him as well.”

As such, the fact that the highly-rated forward now appears to be on his way out of St. Andrew’s this summer is sure to have left Bowyer, the players and fans of the Blues livid, as not only have Birmingham lost a player who clearly has the potential to go on to become a star, they have done so for a rather measly fee.

And, while Birmingham did indeed offer Miller a new deal at the club, if Bowyer did not fight tooth and nail to convince the 18-year-old to stay at Wast Hills beyond the summer, the argument could easily be made that this was a rare mistake on the part of the former Charlton manager, potentially the biggest of his tenure at the Blues so far.

In other news: Fresh update emerges on “phenomenal” BCFC dynamo that is sure to leave Bowyer livid

A huge twist has emerged in Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Nuno Santo…

What’s the word?

The 47-year-old is believed to be the front-runner for the vacant manager’s role at the North London outfit, with recently-appointed Fabio Paratici thought to be ‘pushing hard’ to secure him.

However, chairman Daniel Levy is thought to have major doubts about the former Wolves boss for numerous reasons, according to ever-reliable football.london correspondent Alasdair Gold.

In a recent article, he wrote:

“Paratici wants Espirito Santo and had him on his list of potential candidates to replace Andrea Pirlo at Juventus, along with Gattuso. Talks with the Portuguese have reached an advanced stage and he could be appointed next week, ahead of the club’s July 5 pre-season start date, if the green light is given.

“However, Levy is still believed to be undecided over appointing the former Wolves boss, concerned that some have compared his style to his compatriot Mourinho’s, and most of all there is fear over the reaction the chairman will get from the fans at the first home game of the season against reigning champions Manchester City, particularly if such a difficult first game is lost.”

Fans don’t want him!

Whilst this would pose yet another worrying setback in this arduous process, it’s one that will go down well with the Spurs faithful as many in N17 do not want the Portuguese coach appointed.

Levy and co have been dealt blow after blow over mooted targets ever since sacking Jose Mourinho in mid-April, with many names appearing to be close to being hired, only for the move to fall through at the 11th hour.

Initially, names like Bayern-bound Julian Nagelsmann and Leicester City’s Brendan Rodgers were linked as Tottenham’s top targets before both were quickly ruled out.

And then came discussions with former Premier League winner Antonio Conte but both parties abandoned talks over concerns about one another. There was even a chance for Mauricio Pochettino to make a sensational return to the club but Paris Saint-Germain were not letting that happen.

Spurs were left back at square one following breakdowns in moves for Paulo Fonseca and Gennaro Gattuso and that made Nuno a very clear candidate for the role, seeing as he’s available after he left Wolves by mutual consent only last month.

However, much of the Lilywhites faithful have been totally against the former goalkeeper and that had led to a similar social media campaign to stop him from being appointed, just like they did with the controversial Italian but more about his playing style rather than his sordid past.

Gold even makes reference to this in his latest update on the situation, claiming:

“The fans have not been as opposed to Espirito Santo as they were to the Gattuso talks, for different reasons. However, there is still an clear air of disappointment over a two-month long search, taking in such exciting names only to come around to a manager who has been free and available since May and has been linked with teams such as Crystal Palace and Everton.”

Furthermore, in reaction to the initial reports to Nuno, fans deemed it “embarrassing”, called for Paratici to be sacked and even claimed it was “worse than expected”, as relayed by This is Futbol.

All in all, it means the latest doubt from Levy will come as encouraging news for many in North London as it means there’s a chance that the chairman vetoes the move instead of approving it – if so, many will be buzzing as they simply do not want Nuno as their next manager.

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold drops exciting Spurs transfer claim…

Rangers’ hopes of signing Joey Veerman this summer have been handed a boost after he opened the door to a move abroad following PSV Eindhoven’s decision to pull out of the race to sign him, which should put Steven Gerrard’s side amongst the favourites to land him from Heerenveen ahead of next season.

The 22-year-old has been linked with the likes of Rangers, PSV and Atalanta in recent months, but a move to the Eredivisie giants no longer seems to be on the cards after they signed Davy Propper from Brighton recently. Also, the Serie A club are set to complete a £17m deal for Teun Koopmeiners, which may quell their interest in the Ibrox target.

Veerman shared his disappointment at PSV’s preference for Propper, saying: “It’s just what kind of club comes along. I think it will be very difficult in the Netherlands, so there’s only one thing to do.

“As it looks now, I’m still at Heerenveen and I’m doing my best and nothing else is going on there.”

It has been previously reported that Veerman would cost Rangers £8.5m this summer, but given his superb performances in the Eredivisie in the last two seasons, he could add the Champions League quality that Gerrard needs ahead of their return to Europe’s elite club competition next term.

Former Rangers striker Michael Mols was full of praise for him when the links to Gerrard’s side first emerged, saying: “He is perfect with the ball and in possession, he’s a really great player. His passing and movement with the ball is really relaxed in a good way.”

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Last season saw the 22-year-old contribute an impressive seven goals and 10 assists in just 31 Eredivisie appearances, earning a superb 7.40 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Given that the majority of Rangers’ goals last season came from their strikers, wingers and James Tavernier, a potent midfielder could be exactly what Gerrard needs to ensure that his side retains the Premiership title next season.

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Although Veerman will be an pricey option for the Gers, sporting director Ross Wilson should take advantage of PSV Eindhoven backing out and work quickly to bring Veerman to Ibrox this summer, as he could prove to be a superb addition in both the short- and long-term.

In other news… Gerrard could be set for major boost with “immense” £6.75m-rated “mountain”