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Pundit Alan Hutton believes Celtic could accept a £3m offer for defender Stephen Welsh following rumours of a move to Udinese, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Bid rejected

The Hoops are yet to bolster their defensive ranks during the winter window and are working on making Cameron Carter-Vickers’ loan move permanent.

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However, they have received interest in one of their own defenders in Welsh, described as ‘excellent’ by pundit Paul John Dykes.

Serie A side Udinese have had loan-to-buy and £1.6m offers turned down by Celtic, with the club ‘keen’ to keep hold of the 21-year-old.

The Latest: Hutton’s comments

Hutton, who contributes for BBC Radio 5 Live, was talking to Football Insider regarding Welsh.

He believes that the Hoops could accept an offer of around £3m with a sell-on clause, should one arrive, almost double the £1.6m bid Celtic recently rejected.

“I understand they don’t want to loan him with an option to buy. I think they’d probably much rather an upfront payment.

“It doesn’t surprise me that other teams are looking at him.

“It’s difficult to tell what he’s worth, isn’t it? It’s not like he’s been playing there for years.

“I think if they could probably get £2-3million, with a chance of a sell-on fee, that would be the route they would go down. There’s obviously potential there.

“Going back to the likes of Hickey, we were talking £15million, in the region of that, for someone that they bought a couple of million.

“If they can get £2-3million through the door with a sell-on fee in case he does go and fulfil that potential and go to a higher level, I think that would be ideal for Celtic.”

The Verdict: Going nowhere

Ange Postecoglou revealed on Thursday that Welsh would be going nowhere this month, so that should be the end of the rumours.

He only signed a new contract until 2025 back in April and has been relied on by Postecoglou on 19 occasions this season.

The Hoops have Cater-Vickers, Welsh, Carl Starfelt and the returning Christopher Jullien as senior centre-back options, so letting Welsh go would have been a gamble.

However, thankfully, it doesn’t look as if that will happen, even if they receive a £3m offer which Hutton thinks could tempt Celtic into parting ways.

In other news: Celtic now making move for ‘extraordinary’ player; want it done in 72 hours. 

Following on from their narrow 1-0 win over Wolves in their latest Premier League outing, Liverpool are back in Champions League action this evening with their away group clash against AC Milan.

On the chalkboard

With Liverpool having already qualified to the next stage of the tournament after their 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid back in early November, Reds manager Jurgen Klopp has the opportunity to rest and rotate some of his players on this occasion as he did by playing the likes of Neco Williams and Tyler Morton in their previous Champions League match against FC Porto.

On this occasion, one player that had a short but rather important cameo appearance in the recent win at Molineux that should be in the starting XI in midweek is Divock Origi.

With 22 minutes of the clash left to play against Bruno Lage’s side at the weekend, Klopp rolled the dice and put the Belgian on who then managed to fully repay the faith put in him by Klopp by scoring the winner.

The Belgian has previously shown his knack for bagging from the bench when he netted a consolation goal in their 3-2 defeat against West Ham United earlier in the season.

With this in mind, it would be a nice move by Klopp to give Origi the chance to shine from the start of the match against their Italian opponents tonight ahead of Diogo Jota, who should be rested ahead of Liverpool’s next league game against Aston Villa at the weekend.

Labelled as an “outstanding player” with “incredible” finishing abilities by Klopp after the Wolves game, the 26-year-old, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £82k-per-week according to Salary Sport, has scored 39 goals and provided 16 assists in 166 appearances across all competitions.

Looking ahead to the match in Milan, this match could be a great opportunity for Origi to show that he is more than just an impact player from the substitutes bench and has what it takes to put in a solid performance from the start.

If he does start this evening and manages to deliver an impressive display, there’s every chance that he could give himself a shot of starting their game against Villa as well.

In other news: Edwards must seal LFC swoop for £43m gem who Klopp dubbed “one of the biggest talents” – opinion

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa could be sacked from his job as early as next month, according to a shock rumour which has emerged.

The Lowdown: Bielsa struggling as manager

The Whites are 16th in the Premier League and suffering a dreadful run of form following 7-0 and 4-1 defeats to Manchester City and Arsenal respectively over the past week.

Bielsa has done a magnificent job at Leeds since taking charge in 2018, most notably leading them back into the top flight, but for the first time since coming to the club, he is under genuine pressure after a poor start to the season.

The 66-year-old’s current deal at Elland Road expires at the end of this campaign but a surprise rumour suggests that he may not even make it to that point.

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The Latest: Shock rumour emerges

According to Football Insider, a Thorp Arch source has informed the outlet that Bielsa ‘won’t be at Leeds next season’ and that he could even be gone by the end of January if results don’t improve.

It is stated that ‘Leeds will look to bring in a new manager if their fears of getting sucked into a relegation battle intensify.’

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The Verdict: Surely not?

While no manager should be immune to criticism after a run of bad form, it must be stated that Leeds are currently ravaged by injuries and are struggling for confidence.

The idea of Bielsa being sacked midway through the season seems incomprehensible unless results get even worse in the next month or so, considering that he has inspired them back into the Premier League and become a modern-day hero at the club, as evidenced by the Elland Road faithful singing their backing of him during Saturday’s heavy defeat to Arsenal.

The Argentine, who was dubbed “amazing” by Pep Guardiola in the past, has more than enough credit in the bank to be given until the end of the season – if all parties feel a change is needed then, it would be more understandable.

In other news, Leeds have been backed to sign one player in January. Find out who it is here.

An update has emerged on Newcastle United transfer target Stefan de Vrij, regarding his future at Inter…

What’s the talk?

According to Calcio Mercato, the Italian giants are plotting their future with Alessandro Bastoni and Milan Skriniar, with no final decision made on extending the Dutchman’s contract.

The report claims that he could be sold to make way for younger players to come in, allowing Inter to build for the years to come.

Major issue

Magpies boss Eddie Howe could solve a major issue at the club by securing a deal to sign de Vrij from the Serie A side in January.

After 12 Premier League games, Newcastle have 0 clean sheets and 27 goals conceded – with zero wins to their name as they sit rooted to the bottom of the table. They have conceded 2.3 goals per game on average, highlighting the defensive problems Howe needs to resolve in order to get the club out of trouble before the end of the season.

De Vrij, who was previously hailed as a “monster” by his former teammate Mauricio, could be a terrific addition to help solve this issue due to his experience at the top level. Last season, Inter kept 11 clean sheets in his 30 starts and he averaged a superb SofaScore rating of 7.03, which came after he averaged a score of 7.05 and helped to keep nine clean sheets the previous campaign.

He was once compared to Juventus and Italy beast Leonardo Bonucci by ex-Inter, and current Spurs, manager Antonio Conte too, who said:

“The growth of this team comes from assimilating certain concepts. Stefan [de Vrij], like Bonucci, becomes an important player because they must inevitably leave him room. Stefan is doing well. My defenders must be the first to rely on, even Godin had made assists against Udinese. We have to try it.”

These comments from Conte and his statistics in the last two seasons highlight the quality he could bring to St. James’ Park as a defender. The £116k-per-week earner has played well over 200 times for Lazio and Inter combined and has shown that he can perform to a high level on a consistent basis, which is why he could come in and lift Newcastle’s defence in the second half of the season.

His presence could lead to clean sheets and points on the board in the Premier League, as he has proven he can help to keep shutouts in the Serie A, and this could go some way to solving a major issue for Howe. It is now down to the ex-Bournemouth boss and PIF to ensure that they can get a deal over the line for the Netherlands international.

AND in other news, Paid £12m, now worth £4.5m: Newcastle had howler with dud accused of trying to “cheat”…

Liverpool will face Everton tonight in their first Merseyside derby of the season, and as always form can mean nothing in this fixture.

Despite Everton losing four of their last five games, and Liverpool comfortably thirteen points clear of their local rivals, we know that this game could turn form on its head, with Everton not only desperate to defeat their enemy but also needing three points to climb the table to safety.

The Reds are suffering a number of injury issues in their midfield, but their defence has returned to full strength with the return of Virgil Van Dijk and the addition of Ibrahima Konate, which has given the backline the ability to rotate comfortably, although Joe Gomez is still side-lined with injury issues.

One player who will be hoping to get his start today at Goodison Park is centre back, Joel Matip.

Matip has struggled with a number of injury problems during his time at Anfield, but this season he seems to be maintaining his fitness and offering more reliability in the backline, thanks to his blossoming partnership with van Dijk.

Jurgen Klopp often sings the praises of his players and hailed Matip when reflecting on his recent form in the side. The German said:

“He was a bit unlucky in the past with an injury here and there – maybe not always the most difficult things but he is a big boy, a big player, tall and it can look from time to time a bit edgy or whatever.

“But he is an incredible player, he was always an incredible player since he joined us at least. So that’s really good.”

Klopp must unleash Matip in the centre back pairing tonight with van Dijk as the 6 foot 5 beast would be a better fit for the game than Konate on this occasion as experience and intimidation are key in this derby.

Matip will have no problem getting stuck into players, and assisting his centre back partner in breaking down Everton’s attacking prowess and bullying the likes of Richarlison and Demarai Gray. After all, he has won a whopping 3.6 aerial duels per game this term, the second-highest in Klopp’s squad.

Luckily, Dominic Calvert Lewin has been confirmed as an absentee for the game, despite hinting a few weeks ago that he could’ve been back for it, so it shouldn’t be too challenging a shift for the Reds going forward.

In other news: Klopp must unleash Fabinho against Everton

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has revealed what he’s seen about Aston Villa in recent weeks amid a difficult start to the Premier League.

What’s the story?

Dean Smith’s side suffered yet another disappointing defeat in the top-flight last Friday when they went down 3-1 to Arsenal, and, during a discussion session for The Birmingham Mail, Preece made a very “alarming” claim.

He said: “It’s a combination of both. The finger-pointing came out at Arsenal last week, with Tyrone Mings, Matt Targett, John McGinn, Ezri Konsa, Matty Cash and Emi Martinez all dishing out rollickings to each other.

“The two boys up top, Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins, just have zero belief in what they’re doing at present. The body language amongst the group is alarming – and so too was Smith’s admission last week that recent, below-par performances have been nothing to do with that 3-5-2 system.”

Fans will be worried

While Jack Grealish’s exit in the summer transfer window was always going to be painful, Villa fans would surely have been in optimistic spirits heading into the new season given just how well their recruitment went.

The likes of Leon Bailey, Emi Buendia and Danny Ings, among others, were brought in to add a bit more excitement and attacking flair to Villa’s side, and given the fact they had a settled back four and goalkeeper from last season, things were looking up.

But, the momentum at Villa Park has well and truly shifted, with a couple of bad defeats in recent weeks really raising question marks about the club and the direction they’re heading in – they lie in the bottom half of the table, and have already suffered five defeats in just nine Premier League games.

The fact Preece claims the body language in the group is “alarming” is sure to worry fans about whether Smith can restore the kind of confidence needed to bounce back from their recent failures.

If this kind of run continues, then it’s hard to see where that leaves Smith.

Meanwhile, Villa should sell this star amid rival interest…

West Ham could be facing a losing battle in their bid to keep Declan Rice at the club for the long term after an intriguing claim emerged this week…

What’s the word?

According to ever-reliable Hammers insider ExWHUemployee, who is one of the most trustworthy when it comes to all things at the London Stadium, claimed that the 22-year-old midfielder would be tempted by Chelsea, should they reignite their interest in 2022.

He told ‘The West Ham Way’ podcast this week:

“The thing is, though, like realistically, I mean, I know Declan would be tempted by offers but Chelsea at the moment, are they going to pay that much fee of money for him? I don’t know. But they are probably the club that would most tempt him, I would imagine.

“Manchester City, possibly. Manchester United, possibly.”

Rice has regularly been linked with a move away from the Irons, especially as he is yet to sign a new deal, with talks over that prospect shelved until the summer, as per fellow insiders Claret and Hugh.

A losing battle?

This suggestion should come as a major concern to David Moyes and West Ham as Rice is perhaps one of the most crucial cogs to their success, particularly over the past 18 months.

For example, right now, the England international sits atop of the WhoScored rankings for average rating (7.54), even ahead of Michail Antonio, having sat fourth overall last term.

Unlike most campaigns, Rice leads the way for assists (three) and is just one of four players to have featured in all of the 900 minutes available from the opening ten league games.

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Aside from Ben Johnson, who has only started three games, the £63m-rated beast also ranks first for tackles (2.5), interceptions (two), average number of passes (60.8) and passing accuracy (91.8%) per game, as per WhoScored.

This shows just how important he is, both defensively and in the final third. Pretty much everything the team does runs through him throughout the game.

Recently Moyes laughed off the Hammers’ previous £100m asking price when asked if he was worried about potential bids for his star man. “No, I don’t, because there was a bargain to be got with Declan at £100m. That bargain’s now gone,” he told Sky Sports (via the Metro).

However, suggestions that teams like Chelsea couldn’t afford him are a little far-fetched seeing as they splashed €115m (£97.7m) on bringing Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge in the summer.

Therefore, the 58-year-old Scotsman and those concerned with the east London outfit should be massively concerned by Rice’s likely temptation for the Blues, with January and then the summer on the horizon.

AND in other news, Zero-to-hero: Moyes has totally transformed “unbelievable” £18m-rated West Ham dynamo…

Simon Zekaria has dropped a controversial reveal involving beIN Sports and the potential takeover of Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: CAT revelations

The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) hearing between the Tyneside club and the Premier League over the stalled takeover deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group finally got underway on Wednesday morning.

As cited by The Daily Telegraph, the St James’ Park club were quite astonishingly threatened with expulsion from the top flight, and their separate arbitration case against the division will now take place on 3 January 2022.

The Latest: Zekaria on beIN

Journalist Zekaria has now revealed that St James Holdings Ltd (SJHL), the company owned by Mike Ashley who bought the CAT claim, have alleged that beIN Sports pressurised the Premier League to block the proposed takeover on Tyneside while discussing a three-year broadcasting rights deal to 2025.

He said: “I have learnt that SJHL’s competition claim alleges that beIN Sports pressurised the PL to block the sale of @NUFC while negotiating a three-year broadcasting rights deal to 2025.”

The Verdict: Controversial

Given that the KSA’s issue with piracy and the illegal streaming of games in the Premier League was reportedly suggested to be key in the delay of the takeover, it is not a surprise to hear that Qatari broadcaster beIN allegedly pressurised the top flight to block the sale.

However, it does not make it any less controversial, as decisions on the takeover should not be influenced by outside parties.

It will no doubt be interesting to see what the arbitration proceedings bring in terms of the direction of where the takeover bid is now heading.

In other news, one Newcastle player’s performance against Wolves has come in for criticism

Pete Graves has provided an update on England international Jesse Lingard, relating to Newcastle’s pursuit of his services.

What’s the talk?

According to the Sky Sports journalist, the Manchester United man’s agents were in attendance for the Magpies’ 3-2 defeat to Tottenham as they are keeping a close eye on developments at the club.

He wrote: “I understand Lingard’s representatives were at St James’s Park yesterday keeping an eye on developments at #nufc.”

Lingard has been linked with a potential switch to St. James’ Park following PIF’s takeover of the club, with the January window just over two months away.

Fans will be buzzing

Newcastle fans will surely be left buzzing by this update from Graves as it suggests that there is potential interest from Lingard’s side to get a deal done. The initial Telegraph report stated that it was unclear whether or not the midfielder would be keen on the switch, but this latest development indicates that he is actively considering it by sending the relevant people to St. James’ Park.

The supporters will be delighted by that because Lingard is a proven Premier League performer who could come in and improve the team. He has shown throughout his career that he can score and assist goals, with 29 goals and 17 assists in 153 matches at Premier League level – mainly playing for United.

Last season, Lingard scored nine goals and provided five assists in 16 games on loan to West Ham in the top-flight, which means that he has a recent track record of performing to a high level.

United icon Andy Cole also hailed Lingard’s infectious nature earlier this year, hailing the impact he has on others. He said:

“I think Jesse has come back with that bit between his teeth. He has got the goal, but it is not just about the goal – it is his work rate as well.

“I think his work rate can become infectious. He is putting himself about, getting in the right areas – and getting himself a goal as well.”

Therefore, he could provide quality in the final third whilst also working hard off the ball to harass the opposition and drive his teammates on. This is why Newcastle fans will be delighted that he appears to be exploring the possibility of a transfer to Tyneside ahead of the January window.

AND in other news, 77.7% duels won: NUFC gem with six tackles may have saved his Tyneside career…

When Rafa Benitez was controversially appointed as the new manager of Everton at the beginning of the summer, few would have expected him to begin life in the fashion he has.

The Toffees aren’t only in the top four after the first month of football but they sit level on points with the league leaders Manchester United.

On the chalkboard

Everton have spent a considerable sum of money in the last few years without ever really getting close to the Premier League’s elite.

It is typical, therefore, that after a window where they spent an accumulative £1.7m on five players, they were now well and truly gunning for European football again.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has started the season with three goals in three matches but they owe much of their early season form to their two wingers.

Demarai Gray is showing signs of finally living up to his wonderful potential with three strikes in four appearances while Andros Townsend has hit the ground running too.

The left-footed dynamo was simply superb against Burnley on Monday night as he supplied a delicious cross for Michael Keane to head home and then unleashed a quite magnificent long-range effort that flew into the back of the net.

However, they weren’t the only wingers starring at Goodison Park this week.

Magical McNeil

One player that Everton targeted in the summer transfer window was Burnley’s Dwight McNeil.

The 21-year-old was linked with a £25m swoop but the Clarets were able to hold onto him for another campaign.

It feels like it’s only a matter of time before the flanker earns a bigger move elsewhere, especially if he stars as he did in Merseyside on Monday evening.

Despite his team losing the match, McNeil completed all five of the dribbles he attempted, while delivering another handful of crosses and playing two key passes.

Per SofaScore, he ranked as the club’s best player during the 90 minutes which is hardly surprising given his exciting style of play.

Dubbed “special” by his teammate Ashley Westwood, this isn’t the first time that the England U21 international has terrorised Everton.

During a 2-1 win for Burnley at Goodison back in March, McNeil was on the score sheet as he gave Mason Holgate a torrid time down the left side.

He completed three dribbles on this occasion, conjured up four key passes and managed another five crosses.

Coincidentally, he also gave them a fright in the 1-1 draw at Turf Moor last December. During that clash, the forward produced a jaw-dropping ten crosses and was successful with another five dribbles.

It appears as though McNeil relishes playing against Everton but he could become one of their own in the January window.

On the evidence he’s provided Toffees supporters with already, they’d surely love to see him in the royal blue once the winter arrives.

Benitez simply has to secure him when the next market opens.

AND in other news, Bye-bye James: Rafa must unleash Everton’s “sensational” rarely-seen 17 y/o this term…