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An update has emerged on striker Joe Pigott, regarding Sunderland’s interest in the 27-year-old.

What’s the talk?

According to Portsmouth outlet The News, Sunderland are preparing to offer big wages to Wimbledon striker Joe Pigott in an attempt to land the attacker on a free transfer this summer. Portsmouth are keen on a deal for the centre-forward, but Sunderland are said to be ahead of them in the race, as it stands.

The report claims that Championship sides Luton and Bristol City are also interested in Pigott. This could provide an obstacle for Sunderland and Portsmouth, with Pigott said to favour a transfer to the Championship over staying in League One.

Former Wimbledon manager Wally Downes hailed Pigott as being “magnificent” for the club and praised the way he lead the line from the front. He told Echo News:

“Joe has been magnificent in the last six or seven weeks and he got his rewards for battling.

“He’s led the line really well lately and got another win.”

Get it done

Kristjaan Speakman must seal a deal for Pigott to solve a major problem Sunderland are facing ahead of the 2021/22 campaign. Charlie Wyke was the club’s top goalscorer in the season just gone, with 26 goals, and is out of contract at the end of the month, which means that Sunderland are on the verge of losing their main source of goals. Therefore, there will be a huge hole for Speakman and Lee Johnson to fill and they could do just that by signing Pigott in the coming weeks.

Pigott caught the eye with his goalscoring prowess in League One last season for Wimbledon. He found the back of the net 20 times and set up five for his teammates, despite Wimbledon struggling at the bottom end of the table as they finished 19th in League One. This shows that he is able to score goals consistently at this level and could be an ideal replacement for Wyke at the Stadium of Light.

The £2.1k-per-week goal machine also scored 22 league goals in the previous two League One campaigns for Wimbledon. Therefore, Pigott could be an exceptional addition to Sunderland’s squad and solve their goalscoring problem ahead of Wyke’s likely exit.

Speakman needs to make sure that he can beat the likes of Luton, Bristol City and Portsmouth in the race to land Pigott. He needs to offer Pigott a contract that is attractive enough to convince him to put his Championship dreams on hold for a season.

Hopefully, the Sunderland sporting director can lure Pigott in with the prospect of playing a part in a promotion to the second tier from League One, with him leading the line for the Black Cats in a bid for glory.

AND in other news, Speakman handed major SAFC boost with “excellent” £4k-p/w beast, fans will be buzzing…

Gareth Bale’s loan spell with Tottenham officially ended on Sunday afternoon, but Carlton Palmer believes that his brace at Leicester wasn’t his last hurrah in a Lilywhite shirt.

Bale signed off with two late goals to secure Spurs’ place in the inaugural UEFA Conference League next season, but has since returned to Real Madrid to prepare for the European Championships with Wales.

It remains unclear where Bale will be playing his football next season, with his contract in the Spanish capital expiring next season, whilst another loan back to Tottenham appears complicated.

The 31-year-old spoke after the Leicester game and said that his future will be decided after the Euros, although he did reveal that he knows what he’s doing, but kept his cards close to his chest.

Despite fitness problems and difficulties with Jose Mourinho, the winger still managed 16 goals and three assists in 34 outings, proving that he’s still one of the most dangerous players in European football despite his history of injuries.

With that record in mind, Palmer is confident that Bale will be back at Tottenham next season.

He exclusively told Football FanCast:

“I think Levy wants to keep Bale – he’s very good pals with Jonathan Barnett, who’s Bale’s agent and it’s very clear he wants to keep him.

“He wasn’t getting game-time under Mourinho. It would not surprise me to see Bale there next season, and if that’s the case, that’s why Mourinho got the sack.”

Manchester City are being linked with Sassuolo ace Manuel Locatelli, and the Italian could prove to be the ideal heir to Fernandinho in Pep Guardiola’s side.

What’s the word?

According to Italian news outlet Calciomercato, Manchester City, PSG and Juventus are all set to make an approach for the midfielder this summer, with Sassuolo willing to sell.

However, the report also suggests that he would prefer a move to the Old Lady ahead of next season, which suggests that Guardiola and City sporting director Txiki Begiristain will have to make a convincing offer if they want to ensure that the 23-year-old plies his trade at the Etihad Stadium next term.

Fernandinho’s heir?

Manchester City were forced to exclude Fernandinho from their Premier League retained list earlier this week, as the experienced Brazilian is yet to commit to a new deal with the Citizens ahead of next season.

It has been widely reported that the 36-year-old will sign a new one-year deal with Guardiola’s side after an impressive end to the season, but the club are running out of time to finalise the negotiations as his contract will officially expire at the end of the month.

Even if he does stay on, it seems likely that next season will be his last as a Manchester City player, and City will surely have to bring in a replacement for him to compete with Rodri in the defensive midfield role.

Locatelli could prove to be the ideal man, as he has seriously impressed with both Sassuolo and the Italian national side in recent years.

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Last season saw the 23-year-old make 34 appearances in Serie A, in which he contributed four goals and two assists, averaging a solid 7.08 rating from WhoScored for his performances, whilst his 7.32 average rating for Italy in the World Cup qualifying fixtures also emphasises his quality.

The young midfielder averaged an impressive 2.4 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.7 clearances per match in Serie A last season, whilst his nine yellow cards demonstrate his willingness to get stuck in, a trait for which Fernandinho has been renowned during his time at the Etihad.

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Therefore, regardless of whether or not the former Shakhtar Donetsk man leaves this summer, Locatelli could prove to be the ideal long-term heir to the midfield veteran in Guardiola’s side, to Txiki Begiristain should definitely look to bring in the £31.5m-rated Italian.

In other news… Man City suffer huge blow with £90m-rated beast, Pep dubbed him “world-class”

Tottenham Hotspur can secure a place in Europe next season with a win over Aston Villa this evening.

Ryan Mason’s side will seal at least a seventh-place finish with three points in North London but he has plenty to ponder in terms of team selection following their win over Wolves on Sunday.

There are questions over Gareth Bale’s fitness, whilst Ben Davies is unlikely to play for the club again this season, though the 29-year-old interim could welcome back Serge Aurier after he was a surprise absence at the weekend.

Japhet Tanganga deputised in his absence and did his chances of keeping his place no harm but there is reason to brutally axe him from the starting XI tonight.

Villa may have only won two of their last 12 matches but they will be buoyed by the return of skipper Jack Grealish after a lengthy spell on the sidelines – he’s a massive part of Dean Smith’s squad and is certainly their biggest threat.

Last season, he was amongst the Premier League’s most creative players. In fact, only Kevin De Bruyne (136) created more chances than Grealish (91). And that was on top of providing eight goals and six assists.

Despite missing the bulk of their games since late February, the 25-year-old playmaker is still on track to better those returns as he sits on six goals and ten assists, whilst averaging a whopping 3.2 key passes per game, which is an increase of 0.7 from last term, via WhoScored.

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He’s third overall for chances created (76) once again – four more than Spurs’ best creative outlet, Heung-min Son.

Tanganga has shone whenever he’s featured for Spurs since his debut last year, even impressing Jurgen Klopp on debut. “

“I didn’t know about him and it was a surprise. Our matchday analyst told me about him. He played well,” he told reporters, via football.london. “It was nice when the crowd cheered his name. It was his first Premier League game? Very impressive.”

Whilst former Spurs stars Gary Mabbutt and Darren Bent have also waxed lyrical about him. The former calling him an “excellent player” in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, and the latter dubbing him “very, very exciting” to Football Insider.

However, given Grealish’s undoubted ability, the young 22-year-old gem could face his toughest test yet, so it may be wise for Mason to make the ruthless call and go for more experience, with Aurier back in training.

The £7.2m-rated England U21 international has to be an unfortunate casualty tonight, otherwise, the Spurs caretaker risks him getting torn apart by one of the Premier League’s best wide playmakers.

AND in other news, Spurs can forget about keeping Kane if Levy hires “exceptional” 48 y/o lauded by Pep…

Everton’s inconsistent campaign came to an end in a simply disastrous fashion on Sunday afternoon.

The Toffees needed to win in order to give themselves a chance of qualifying for Europe but against the champions on Sergio Aguero’s Etihad farewell, there was only going to be one outcome.

The Manchester City legend scored twice from the bench as the Citizens wrapped up a stunning and dominating 5-0 win.

It was an embarrassing way for Carlo Ancelotti’s side to end the season and as a result, they will need to get the supporters back on their side swiftly.

One way they could do that is by securing the services of a player who lit up the Premier League’s final day; Gareth Bale.

The Welshman scored twice on his final appearance for Tottenham as Spurs secured continental football after beating Leicester 4-2.

This feels like a farfetched deal to complete but it’s one that’s been touted in the Spanish media with Ancelotti a strong admirer of Bale.

The duo linked up together when they were at Madrid, where the attacker racked up 39 goals and 31 assists under his stewardship.

Everton’s current manager clearly loves him, describing the veteran as one of Real’s most “dangerous” players when he was in the Spanish capital.

His wages of £250k-per-week might be hard to overcome but it’s a deal that’s also been given the green light by Marcus Bent, a man who has sources close to Goodison Park.

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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast this weekend, he said: “I think that would be his [Bale] kind of club. I think he’d be the headline player, which he needs to be for his confidence and he would play week in week out alongside some great players.

“As I’ve spoken about before, Everton is a family club, they would take him in and give him the love that he needs.”

The Welshman struggled to hit the ground running when he returned to north London on loan this season but found electrifying form in the New Year. He eventually ended the campaign with 16 goals from just 34 outings.

A ruthless flying winger, Everton could well and truly start their window with a bang by signing the Wales international.

He knows the Premier League, has scored more goals than any other Toffees player besides Dominic Calvert-Lewin this season and they have a manager who knows how to get the best from him.

If the Merseyside outfit are serious about getting into the Champions League, this is precisely the type of acquisition they need to be making.

AND in other news, Worse than Holgate: £32k-p/w Everton dud who lost 80% duels will have Ancelotti fuming…

Celtic appear to be keen on keeping loanee Diego Laxalt at Parkhead in a potential swap deal for Odsonne Edouard this summer.

That’s according to Milan Live, who claim that the Italian giants are looking at the French forward ahead of the summer window.

They claim left-back Laxalt could hold the key to a potential move over the coming months, admitting a stay at Celtic would be welcome.

The report goes on to add that a potential deal involving the pair will also depend on the next Hoops manager.

Transfer Tavern take

A story back in February first suggested that Celtic would like to make Laxalt’s loan permanent in the summer, and it appears as if they may get their man.

However, we feel as if the Hoops could be better off without Laxalt’s services on a full-time basis.

His Milan deal is worth a whopping £57,000-a-week, so you’d expect he’d become one of the club’s most expensive earners should a summer transfer go through.

Performance-wise this season, Laxalt has been outperformed by Greg Taylor, as per WhoScored. The Scot has made more league appearances (21-17), provided more assists (5-0) and has recorded a better average match rating (6.96-6.82).

On that basis, keeping Taylor as first choice and looking at a younger option as back up could be beneficial, as the club could therefore put Laxalt’s potential wage to another marquee signing, while also receiving a larger fee for Edouard.

In other news: Celtic source shares huge off-field update regarding 57 y/o; massive 2020 blunder rears its head, find out more here. 

Liverpool might have been handed a great chance to sign the perfect Georginio Wijnaldum replacement this summer in the form of Yves Bissouma.

The Reds have been linked with a move for the Brighton man in the past, with ESPN indicating that he was being tracked as far back as the winter.

His current employers will, of course, be loath to lose him, especially to a Premier League rival. However, Seagulls boss Graham Potter has admitted that he is being “sensible” in relation to any potential interest in Bissouma, whilst the Daily Express indicate that the South Coast club have priced him at £40m – which should certainly be enough for Liverpool to make a move.

For context, that price is less than the £48m that Liverpool agreed to pay RB Leipzig for the underwhelming Naby Keita. They would certainly be receiving a far more accomplished midfielder this time around.

Since arriving at Brighton from Ligue 1 outfit Lille in 2018, the 14-time Malian international has gone on to make 91 appearances for the club, scoring four goals.

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His performances have also garnered plenty of praise too, with Gary Lineker labelling Bissouma as “exceptional”.

He is just the type of player that Liverpool, and Jurgen Klopp, need.

When comparing his attacking stats to the potentially outgoing Wijnaldum, it is surprisingly the Brighton man that comes out on top.

According to WhoScored, Bissouma has averaged more shots per game – 1.2 to 0.8 – more dribbles  – 1.5 to 0.9 – and the same amount of key passes compared to the current Liverpool midfielder in the Premier League this season.

Meanwhile, he is also far more impressive from a defensive standpoint, racking up more tackles, interceptions and clearances.

So, with Wijnaldum potentially set to depart in the summer and Brighton apparently open to parting for a certain price, Liverpool now have the perfect opportunity to bring Bissouma to Anfield.

AND in more news, find out why Liverpool could be missing Mo Salah ahead of next season…

Rangers set up an Old Firm derby in the fourth round of the cup as they eased past League One side Cove Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday, with Jermaine Defoe particularly impressing for Steven Gerrard’s side.

The 38-year-old forward gave Rangers the lead with an excellent long-range strike and looked a quality above as he regularly found space in the area, coming close to further goals on several occasions.

A quickfire Kemar Roofe double, along with a well-taken goal from Nathan Patterson wrapped the win up for Gerrard’s side before half-time, with several youngsters such as Calvin Bassey and Scott Wright impressing.

However, it was arguably Defoe that sent the biggest message to Gerrard with his performance, and the fact that he was selected ahead of Cedric Itten upfront suggests that the 40-year-old manager still sees him as an important member of his squad.

It is surprising therefore that, as it stands, the former Tottenham Hotspur and England forward will leave Ibrox in the summer when his contract expires.

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His performance against Cove Rangers demonstrated that, no matter what his age, Defoe will always have the ability to pop up with a goal and he can still be an important part of this Rangers squad, even if he is behind the likes of Alfredo Morelos and Roofe in the pecking order.

Earlier in the season, Gerrard was full of praise for the veteran striker, saying:

“He is in incredible shape and he loves coming into work and he is still trying to learn and improve and get better.”

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Therefore, fitness clearly isn’t an issue for Defoe, as he emphasised in Sunday’s game, which will hopefully be enough to convince both Gerrard and Ross Wilson that he is worthy of a new deal at Ibrox, as he clearly still has something to offer in this Rangers side.

And, in other news… Gerrard handed huge Rangers boost with “unstoppable” gem, it’s perfect timing

Sean Dyche has admitted that he finds the links to the manager job at Newcastle United if Steve Bruce were to leave ‘very flattering’.

However, speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against the St. James’ Park faithful at Sunday lunchtime, the Burnley manager also claimed (via Daily Mirror) that he will keep doing his job with the Clarets.

The North East club are reportedly eyeing up Dyche as a potential replacement for Bruce should the latter leave, given the growing pressure that the former Aston Villa and Sunderland boss is currently under to keep his team in the Premier League.

Newcastle and Dyche a good match

Dyche could be a good fit at the Tyneside club. He is vastly experienced in managing in the top flight, and has kept Burnley for a number of seasons there despite their relatively inferior transfer budget and status to other clubs in the division – something Toon fans know all too well about with Mike Ashley at the helm.

The fact that he has managed to do this should not go unnoticed, and that is what makes him such a good coach, with former EPL ace Frank McAvennie even going as far as to claim that he is ‘exceptional’ following links to the Celtic job back in March.

Nonetheless, he should certainly be a manager to consider hiring for the Magpies if Bruce were to leave his post.

In other news, find out what takeover claim from consortium sources Mark Douglas has dropped here!

Everton have landed a huge boost in the race to sign Lucas Vazquez after the Real Madrid maestro reportedly named Goodison Park as his preferred destination.

What’s the word?

According to a report in Spain, Vazquez has decided that he will leave the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season and he has his heart set on a reunion with Carlo Ancelotti and James Rodriguez.

Vazquez is due to be out of contract when his £113,000-per-week terms expire in June and he has not seen the La Liga giants reopen negotiations after he rejected the terms of a new deal.

The Spain international is now set to leave Real, unless there’s an expectational change in circumstances, and he has a wealth of admirers in Everton, Leeds United, AC Milan and Real Betis, while Valencia, Sevilla and SSC Napoli have previously been linked.

Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid are also potential destinations, though Vazquez is now said to be considering a move to Merseyside as he knows what to expect if playing under Ancelotti.

Vazquez never made an appearance for Ancelotti during the Italian’s time in charge of Los Blancos, but the Everton boss apparently values how the £13.5m-rated winger has since developed and grown as a person.

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Should Everton sign Vazquez?

Everton’s alleged intention to bring Vazquez to Merseyside in the off-season to benefit Rodriguez is not new, with Defensa Central claiming at the start of the month that Ancelotti had targeted the Real Madrid forward as part of his plans to keep the Colombian on side.

It was thought that Ancelotti was pushing Everton to sign Vazquez as his arrival would help convince Rodriguez to stay at Goodison Park, as the Colombian had reportedly grown disillusioned by life in the Premier League and was considering a return to Spain.

But the Toffees can benefit from having Vazquez on the pitch, as well, as the soon-to-be free agent can allow Ancelotti to play with either a four or five-man defence after impressing in a right-wing-back role for Real Madrid this season.

Ancelotti has often rotated between naming two and three centre-halves this season, with a 4-3-3 his most-used system for Premier League games with it used on nine occasions so far. He has utilised three centre-back formations five times and two centre-half systems 23 times, per WhoScored.

It was also in a five-at-the-back that Everton hosted Manchester City in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday, with Seamus Coleman started at full-back over Mason Holgate.

Ancelotti has favoured Holgate in the role for 12 top-flight fixtures to Coleman on 10 occasions to date, in which they have contributed a respective 2.5 and 2.1 successful tackles, 1.6 and 0.5 interceptions, 0.3 accurate crosses from 1.6 and 1.4 attempts plus 0.3 and 0.5 key passes, per WhoScored.

Vazquez, meanwhile, has made 10 of his 22 La Liga outings this term as a wing-back, in which he has averaged three successful tackles, one interception, 1.4 accurate crosses from 5.8 attempts and 2.1 key passes.

That goes to show the Galacticos talent may not only create more goalscoring chances for the likes of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin to fire Everton up the Premier League table, but also take some of the defensive burden away from Ben Godfrey and co. in the centre next season.

So, not only could Vazquez give Rodriguez a morale boost, but he could also give Ancelotti a competent and productive wing-back option without Everton paying Real Madrid a penny.

AND in other news, Everton are monitoring a £17m ace dubbed the next Erling Haaland…