Nottingham Forest are now chasing the signing of an “elusive” £30m forward, but there could be competition from their Premier League rivals, according to a report.

Forest pursuing new forwards as Nuno prepares for Europe

Forest’s Champions League aspirations have taken a hit in recent weeks, succumbing to back-to-back defeats in the Premier League, although they remain in a strong position to secure a top-five finish.

However, should the Tricky Trees achieve their goal of Champions League qualification, they may have to strengthen their squad in order to be competitive, and they appear to be particularly keen on strengthening in attacking areas.

Nuno’s side are eager to bring in a new striker, with owner Evangelos Marinakis now ready to pay £75m for Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Matheus Cunha, given the Brazilian’s impressive campaign in the Premier League.

Related Ready to spend: Marinakis link could see Nottingham Forest sign 17-goal ace

He’s scored 17 this season.

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There is also a desire to strengthen in wide areas, with Marseille’s Luis Henrique among the main targets, and there has now been a development in Forest’s pursuit of the winger, having made contact with his agents.

Henrique is not the only option, however, with a report from Turkey revealing that Nottingham Forest are now in the picture to sign Galatasaray’s Baris Alper Yilmaz, who has been a major target for West Ham United for quite some time.

The Hammers made a €25m (£21m) bid for Yilmaz back in January, which was knocked back, with the Turkish club looking to hold out for €35m (£30m), and the Tricky Trees are now positioning themselves to potentially hijack the move.

Napoli are also in the race for the 24-year-old, who is seemingly set to leave Galatasaray at the end of the season, with the report stating he is ‘set to pack his bags’.

"Elusive" Yilmaz impressing in Turkey

The left-winger has established himself as a key player for Galatasaray during their Turkish Süper Lig title push this season, making 28 league appearances and picking up ten goals and three assists.

Not only does the Turkey international have a keen eye for goal, but he has showcased his dribbling, aerial and tackling ability over the past year, ranking in a very high percentile on each metric when compared to others in his position.

Statistic

Average per 90

Tackles

1.97 (88th percentile)

Aerials won

2.89 (99th percentile)

Progressive carries

5.09 (85th percentile)

There are also clear signs the Galatasaray star could be capable of making an instant impact at Premier League level, given that he gave Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk a very tough time in the quarter-final of Euro 2024.

Van Dijk said: “Baris Alper Yilmaz was running constantly. He was running elusive. It was difficult for every defender. He made it very hard for us. He couldn’t score a goal though. If we were to describe him in any way, he is a really important player.”

Yilmaz could be an excellent signing for Forest this summer, and European qualification would surely give them the edge over West Ham in the race for his signature.

One of the areas in the squad that Manchester United will need to strengthen this summer is in midfield. The Red Devils are set to lose Christian Eriksen at the end of the campaign, with the Dane hinting that he will depart the club back in March, explaining that the “collaboration will stop” between him and the 13-time Premier League champions.

Casemiro is another player who could be in line to depart Old Trafford. However, his performances in recent weeks have picked up, and he explained that “it’s too soon to talk about next season” in a recent interview.

The Red Devils have already been linked with new options in the centre of the park, including a move for one midfielder currently plying his trade in Serie A.

The Serie A midfielder United want to sign

It will certainly be interesting, to say the least, to see where Atalanta midfielder Ederson ends up at the end of the 2025 summer transfer window. The Brazilian has been constantly linked with a move away from the 2023/24 Europa League winners.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Now, according to reports from Spain, United are one of the sides who are considering a move for the Brazilian this summer. They ‘have set their sights’ on bringing Ederson to Old Trafford over the 2025 summer window, with the view of strengthening in midfield.

However, they will not be the only club looking to add him to their squad. United’s East Mancunian rivals, Manchester City, are also targeting a move, with the pair ‘willing to enter into a fight to secure his services’. That said, the report claims that it is United who have moved ahead, as the ‘contacts with his entourage are advanced’.

Should a deal get over the line, he could cost a reported £52m if he were to depart Atlanta this summer.

How Ederson compares to Manuel Ugarte

For Ederson, it has been an impressive season under Italian boss Gian Piero Gasperini in Bergamo. The Brazilian has been a key part of his midfield, happy to sit at the base and do the dirty work off the ball.

The 25-year-old has featured 43 times across all competitions this season, scoring four goals and grabbing two assists in that time, showing his merit in the opposition box.

One of those goals came in a 2-2 draw against Barcelona in the Champions League.

One of the reasons that Ederson’s transition to Old Trafford could well be seamless is the similarity in system. At Atalanta, Gasperini employs different versions of a back three, just as Ruben Amorim does at Old Trafford.

His job will be similar in both, despite the slight tweaks to the overall system. That is to say, he will be instructed to win the ball back and play it on to the likes of Bruno Fernandes, or get it out wide to the flying wingbacks.

That, in essence, is the job of Manuel Ugarte in the Red Devils lineup. He was signed last summer, although Ederson was an alternative, despite the fact that United never actually placed a bid for the Brazilian.

So far, the Uruguay international has made 37 appearances in that famous Red shirt, albeit with his only goal thus far a stunning volley against Everton to secure United a draw.

However, several key metrics, courtesy of Squawka, suggest Ederson would be an upgrade in midfield to the former Sporting CP star. For example, the Brazilian is better in possession, averaging 17.4 forward passes per game compared to 9.1 for the United number 25.

However, Ugarte does complete more ball recoveries each game, with 6.3 to Ederson’s 5.9.

Open play passes completed

49.7

36.7

Forward passes

17.4

9.1

Fouls committed

1.1

2.1

Ground duel success rate

53.59%

52.88%

Ball recoveries

5.9

6.3

As the numbers suggest, it seems like Ederson will be an upgrade on Ugarte in the centre of the park. He is more progressive and positive on the ball, whilst being just as effective a ball winner, if not more.

£52m is a lot of money for United to invest in their midfield for another summer, yet Ederson could well be worth that investment. It may well be a signing that strengthens Amoirm’s options in the middle of the midfield.

After all, Fabio Capello described him as “out of this world”, and for Man United, there might not be a better fit.

Upgrade on Rashford: Man Utd leading the race to sign £30m "monster"

Man Utd are looking for attacking reinforcements this summer

ByJoe Nuttall Apr 16, 2025

For everything that has gone wrong during his tenure and the mistakes he has made as Tottenham Hotspur boss, Ange Postecoglou has a decent track record when it comes to signings.

Granted, Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin haven’t been great, but aside from them, the Australian has done well.

For example, Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Wilson Odobert look like brilliant long-term investments, while Dominic Solanke, Micky van de Ven and James Maddison have all massively improved the first team.

Moreover, while the latter has sometimes been a little more inconsistent than fans would like, he has the talent and ability to change a game on his own, and based on recent reports, the club appear keen to sign another Premier League star in a similar mould.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer targets

While Daniel Levy and Co have already backed Postecoglou to a significant extent in recent windows, the club are still in the midst of a major squad overhaul and, as such, have been linked to a whole host of incredible players in recent months, such as Matheus Cunha.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The Brazilian has a release clause worth around £62.5m in his current contract at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and while that is a lot of money, he’s already produced 19 goal involvements in 29 appearances this season, so it would undoubtedly be worth it.

However, he’s not the only attacker who has been touted for a move to N17, as Jonathan David continues to be linked with a free transfer to the North Londoners, although due to his brilliant tally of 33 goal involvements this season, there are a whole host of teams lining up to secure the Canadian’s services.

Closer to home, another name has once again popped up as a key target for the Lilywhites, another international who’d be an unreal addition to the squad: Eberechi Eze.

According to a recent report from TEAMtalk, the North Londoners have maintained their interest in the Crystal Palace star and are ‘very keen’ to secure his services this summer.

However, there are two potential barriers they’ll have to overcome to do so: interest from Manchester United and the £60m fee the Eagles want for their star player.

It could be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Eze’s immense ability, it is one well worth fighting for, especially as he could be a Maddison repeat.

Why Eze would be Maddison 2.0

So, if Spurs can get ahead of the Red Devils and stump up the cash for Eze in the summer, why could it be considered a repeat of the deal that saw Maddison move to North London in 2023?

Well, to start with, there are some surface-level similarities, such as the fact that it would be another example of the Lilywhites signing an exciting creative player from within the Premier League who has also played for England in recent years.

However, more consequently, the pair can and often do fulfil similar roles within their respective teams, as both a goalscoring and creative output from midfield.

Appearances

32

38

Minutes

2547′

2240′

Goals

6

11

Assists

9

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.46

0.47

Minutes per Goal Involvement

169.8′

124.44′

For example, the former Leicester City star has scored 11 goals and provided seven assists in 38 appearances this season, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.11 games.

For his efforts, the former Queens Park Rangers gem has amassed a haul of six goals and nine assists in 32 appearances this term, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.13 games.

On top of their similar effectiveness, both players are fairly versatile.

For example, throughout his career to date, the Tottenham ace has played in central and attacking midfield, on both wings and in left and right midfield to boot.

Likewise, while the Eagles’ “superstar,” as dubbed by football analyst Ben Mattinson, undoubtedly prefers to play in attacking midfield, he has made plenty of appearances on the wings, in wide midfield and even a couple up top.

Ultimately, while signing Eze will cost Spurs a pretty penny, his performances over the last few years have more than shown he’d be worth it, and a team with him and Maddison in it is a team other sides will not want to play against.

Ange must now axe Bissouma to start "generational" Spurs star

The incredible talent has a bright future at Spurs.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 3, 2025

It looks set to be another summer of significant change for Tottenham Hotspur this year.

The Lilywhites didn’t get enough business done last year, and that, combined with a terrible run of injuries, has seen their domestic campaign go from bad to worse this season.

However, it’s not just incomings that could completely alter the team in the coming months, but outgoings, as it remains to be seen whether Ange Postecoglou will keep his job and several key stars have also been linked with an exit.

In fact, the club could even be at risk of losing one of their most important players in a move that would feel reminiscent of Christian Eriksen’s transfer in 2020.

Tottenham's potential exits

Without a doubt, the biggest story concerning an exit from Tottenham at the moment concerns Cristian Romero, as, after being linked with Real Madrid earlier this year, reports from the last few weeks have touted him for a £67m move to Atlético Madrid.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Worse yet, those same reports have revealed that the Argentine would also like the move and has already held talks with Diego Simeone.

A far less damaging exit, and one likely welcomed by the fans, could be that of Timo Werner, as it was recently revealed that the North Londoners will likely not be making his stay permanent.

The RB Leipzig loanee has been underwhelming at best during his time at the club and has only been able to amass a haul of four goal involvements in 27 games.

However, a far more significant loss would be that of Dejan Kulusevski.

Yes, according to former Tottenham scout Mick Brown, the Swedish international is “going to be interested” in moving back to Serie A this summer.

Speaking to Football Insider, Brown revealed that AC Milan and Napoli are just some of the teams interested in him and that, due to him and other players feeling “frustrated” about how the season has panned out, it’s a move that’s genuinely “feasible even if Tottenham don’t want to let him leave.”

Losing the former Juventus ace would be a disaster for Spurs and a potential repeat of Eriksen’s departure five years ago.

Why Kulusevski could be Eriksen 2.0

There are, unfortunately, a few reasons why Kulusevski’s transfer this summer could mirror Eriksen’s in 2020, and the first is the fact that they are both sensationally gifted creative midfielders.

Erisken’s Spurs career
Competition	Games	Goals	Assists
PL	226	51	65
UCL	29	5	7
UEL	22	5	5
League Cup	13	4	4
FA Cup	15	4	7
All Stats via Transfermarkt

For example, during his time in North London, the former Lilywhites star racked up an incredible haul of 69 goals and 88 assists in 305 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 1.94 games.

For his part, the “world-class” Stockholm-born maestro, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored 25 goals and provided 29 assists in 138 appearances, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.55 games.

However, this season has seen him spend more time in the middle of the park than on the wings for the first time in his Spurs career, which has seen him produce 20 goal involvements in 42 appearances or one every 2.1 games.

The next similarity would be their destinations and the fact that Tottenham did not want to lose them, as the current Manchester United ace left North London to join Inter Milan and Kulusevski’s potential destination looking like it could be the black and red half of the city: AC Milan.

Finally, both players are key members of a Scandinavian national team, with Eriksen amassing a staggering 140 senior caps for Denmark and the Lilywhites star earning 45 for Sweden.

Ultimately, losing Kulusevski this summer would be a disaster for Spurs, so Daniel Levy and Co need to do all they can and give him what he wants to ensure he stays at the club.

He's a £101m star in the making: Spurs hit gold on "monster" Nuno signing

The incredible talent has a bright future at Spurs.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Apr 7, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur were hammered 5-1 by Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday in a match that confirmed their opponents as the champions of the Premier League.

It was a one-sided contest for much of the evening, despite Dominic Solanke’s opening goal in the first half, as the Reds ran riot on Merseyside against a helpless Spurs defence.

Ange Postecoglou will surely be disappointed with the performances from his players on the pitch, as several stars underperformed, including Destiny Udogie.

Destiny Udogie's struggles against Liverpool

The Italy international was tasked with keeping Mohamed Salah quiet at left-back and, actually, did a decent job of it in the opening 45 minutes.

Player ratings courtesy of Sofascore

Although Salah played a part in the first goal with a pass in behind the Spurs defence, the Egypt international ended the first half with zero goals or assists.

Unfortunately, however, the Liverpool number 11 stepped his game up in the second half to create one ‘big chance’ and score a goal, as he cut inside of Udogie from the right flank before rifling an effort into the bottom corner.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Salah also put the Spurs left-back under pressure and forced the defender to convert into his own net for the fifth goal, in what was a dreadful second-half for the Italian dud.

Udogie, however, was not the worst-performing full-back of the afternoon for Tottenham, as Djed Spence was even worse than the former Udinese star.

Why Postecoglou must drop Spence

The English right-back did not enjoy his best day in a Spurs shirt, with a dismal showing, and it started with his involvement, or lack thereof, in the first Liverpool goal.

Spence hesitated and tried to push up to play offside, but it was not an organised line, instead of following his man – Luis Diaz – into the box, and it was his match-up who scored the goal.

He found himself unaware of his man making a run off his back twice in the second half, once to allow Cody Gakpo in behind, but his cross evaded everyone, and the second time to allow Diogo Jota to fire in the cross that forced Udogie’s own goal.

Alongside those disappointing moments defensively, Spence’s use of the ball was also wasteful in comparison to Udogie’s throughout the 90 minutes.

Minutes

90

90

Pass accuracy

81%

56%

Dribbles completed

1/2

0/3

Possession lost

7x

21x

Tackles

3

1

Interceptions

2

0

Duels won

6/8

1/8

As you can see in the table above, the Italian defender had the better performance out of the two defenders, with his play in and out of possession, even if you include his own goal, which Spence was partially responsible for.

The former Nottingham Forest full-back was weak in his physical battles, made poor decisions defensively, and gave the ball away far too often, losing possession a whopping 14 more times than Udogie. This provided Liverpool with even more opportunities to attack because he could not keep hold of the ball well enough.

Therefore, Postecoglou must consider ruthlessly dropping Spence to the bench in favour of Pedro Porro, who provided an assist against Forest last time out, for the Europa League clash with Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.

Fewer touches than Vicario: Ange must axe Spurs dud who was worse than Gray

Ange Postecoglou must drop the Tottenham Hotspur flop who was even worse than Archie Gray.

ByDan Emery Apr 27, 2025

Manchester United are now ready to trigger the release clause to sign an “incredible” midfielder, having recently held talks over a deal, according to a report.

Man Utd searching for a playmaker

While Bruno Fernandes is enjoying an impressive campaign on a personal level, picking up 17 goals and 18 assists in all competitions, few other players have contributed to Man United’s attacking output.

The Red Devils have looked particularly devoid of ideas in the Premier League, having created 59 big chances throughout the campaign, which is just the 13th highest number in the division and below the likes of Fulham, Brentford and Crystal Palace.

As such, it is clear that Ruben Amorim needs a new creative spark in midfield, and work has started to bring in a new number 10, with Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha edging closer towards completing a move to Old Trafford.

He'd be incredible with Cunha: £40m PL star now keen on signing for Man Utd

Manchester United could be about to land another star forward alongside Matheu Cunha.

ByEthan Lamb Apr 29, 2025

United are also leading the race for Lyon attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki, who could be available for the bargain fee of £30m this summer, amid the French club’s ongoing financial issues.

There have been suggestions that Man Utd could be willing to take a punt on Franco Mastantuono too, and there has now been a new update on their pursuit of the 17-year-old.

According to a report from TyC Sports (via Sport Witness), INEOS and Man Utd are now ready to trigger the €45m (£38m) release clause in Mastantuono’s River Plate contract, having recently held talks with the Argentine club.

However, rather than shelling out £38m outright, the Red Devils want to pay in installments, and it is unclear whether River Plate would be willing to agree to a deal of that nature.

Moreover, the teenager isn’t showing many signs that he is keen on a move to Old Trafford, with Real Madrid believed to be his preferred destination, despite talks over a move to the Spanish club breaking down last year.

"Incredible" Mastantuono destined to be future star

Compatriot Enzo Fernandez clearly believes the youngster has what it takes to succeed in Europe, saying: “He’s showing that he has a European future. You can see it.

“He’s an incredible player. He’s doing very well and has shown great talent. In my opinion, he’s a star.”

It is little wonder the starlet could soon be in line for a move to Europe, having put in some top performances for River Plate, most recently scoring a stunning free-kick in the Superclasico against Boca Juniors.

The maestro has also impressed across a range of key metrics for attacking midfielders over the past year, when compared to his positional peers, most notably placing in the top 1% for successful take-ons.

Statistic

Average per 90

Shot-creating actions

6.20 (97th percentile)

Progressive passes

5.33 (81st percentile)

Successful take-ons

3.63 (99th percentile

Mastantuono is showing all the hallmarks of a future star, and Man United will be hoping a Europa League triumph could convince him to move to Old Trafford this summer.

It is fair to say that Manchester City are making a concerted effort to bring down the average age of their squad.

In January, they signed Juma Bah (18), Nico González (23), Vitor Reis (19), and Abdukodir Khusanov (21), while Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne, aged 34 and 33 respectively, could both be on their way out of The Etihad.

While hundreds of millions will be spent on new signings, Man City may have unearthed a top-quality youngster from within their own youth system, one that is now being compared to one of the breakout stars of this Premier League season.

Myles Lewis-Skelly's impact at Arsenal

Few had heard of Myles Lewis-Skelly just six months ago, considering the teenager only made his full Premier League debut against Everton as recently as 14 December.

Now, though, despite still having made fewer than 30 senior appearances for the Gunners, he is their undisputed first-choice left-back.

Adam Bate of Sky Sports outlines how the 18-year-old has enjoyed an astronomical rise, boasting the ‘swagger’ of someone well beyond his years, while Simon Collings of the Evening Standard believes he ‘announced himself on the big stage’ against Real Madrid this week.

Last month, Lewis-Skelly became the youngest debutant to score for England, coolly slotting through Thomas Strakosha’s legs after just 20 minutes against Albania at Wembley.

So, while the Hale End home-grown hero continues to impress at Arsenal, have Manchester City found their answer to him?

Man City's own Myles Lewis-Skelly

A goal down against Bournemouth, Manchester City’s FA Cup hopes appeared to be slipping away by the South Coast.

In response, Pep Guardiola made a half-time alteration in Dorset, introducing Nico O’Reilly at left-back, pushing Joško Gvardiol into the heart of the Man City defence.

Well, even Guardiola could not have envisaged how well this switch would go because, within seconds, O’Reilly had put the ball on a plate for Erling Braut Håland to equalise, before also setting up Omar Marmoush’s winner.

Afterwards, Guardiola hailed O’Reilly’s impact as “unbelievable”, adding “he’s going to play in semi-final for sure”, while Ben Fisher of the Guardian labeled this tactical tweak as a ‘masterstroke’, with O’Reilly’s ‘seemingly bottomless energy’ changing the game in Man City’s favour.

Similar to Lewis-Skelly, O’Reilly is a midfielder by trade, with Emlyn Begley of BBC Sport documenting that he’s really ‘an attacking midfielder’ but a ‘flexible’ one at that.

Nevertheless, the 20-year-old has found a home at left-back, starting against both Leicester and Manchester United since his second-half cameo at Dean Court.

So, let’s see how he and Arsenal’s teenage star compare.

Appearances

12

29

Minutes

717

1,621

Goals

3

1

Assists

2

2

Chances created

10

9

Attempted passes

426

783

Passing accuracy

90.86%

92.89%

Through-balls

2

10

Ball recoveries

37

59

Touches per 90

94

62

As the table above outlines, O’Reilly and Lewis-Skelly are very similar stylistically, which isn’t too surprising, even if the Arsenal man having played almost twice the number of minutes across all competitions to date.

Interestingly, O’Reilly registers significantly more touches per 90, while he’s also more of a goal-threat, emphasising the point that, if given the choice, he’d play as an attacking midfielder.

Thus, likely to be deployed at left-back against Crystal Palace on Saturday, O’Reilly is certainly going to be put to the test, considering how dangerous Daniel Muñoz and Ismaïla Sarr are as a duo down the Eagles’ right-hand-side.

Pep identifies "world class" star as Man City's dream De Bruyne replacement

After Kevin De Bruyne announced he will be leaving Manchester City, Pep Guardiola is targeting a “world-class” Premier League star to replace him.

Apr 11, 2025

Burnley are now interested in signing an “outstanding” Fulham player who has worked and won promotion under Scott Parker before, according to a recent report.

Burnley already planning summer transfers

The Clarets confirmed their promotion to the Premier League on Monday evening after beating Sheffield United, and not even 48 hours later, already Burnley’s chiefs are working on transfer business ahead of the summer transfer window opening.

Related Sky Sports: Burnley set to sign 25 y/o after promotion in new £8m update

Burnley are now set to sign an exciting forward with a new price-tag emerging.

Posts ByBrett Worthington Apr 23, 2025

It’s been claimed by former footballer Lee Hendrie that midfielder Jonjo Shelvey won’t be at Turf Moor next season. Shelvey’s contract expires at the end of the season, and Hendrie believes a new deal will not be offered.

Hendrie told Football League World: “I’m not sure that they will secure a deal for him. To be quite honest, I think that going into the Premier League, I think that the squad has to be a lot stronger. Jonjo obviously hasn’t featured too much, so I don’t think that will be one that they’ll be looking to make permanent and keep him there again. With his contract expiring, I think he’ll move on.”

Meanwhile, it’s been reported by Sky Sports that Burnley are now set to sign Jaidon Anthony on a permanent basis, with the Clarets securing his services for £8 million, rather than the £10 million that was originally reported during the summer transfer window.

Burnley want to sign Fulham ace who has worked with Parker

Anthony could be the start of a long list of players potentially arriving at Turf Moor during the summer. According to Give Me Sport, Burnley now want to sign Harrison Reed from Fulham, a player Parker knows very well.

The report states that Burnley are keen to land the 30-year-old midfielder if Fulham are willing to do a deal. The Premier League side do have a few options in the middle of the pitch, and that has resulted in Reed falling down the pecking order this season, playing just 11 times in the league.

It’s claimed that Fulham and Marco Silva are looking to strengthen their midfield once again this summer, and therefore, Reed could be one that is moved on to make room in the squad.

Given his status in the Fulham team and the fact he has worked with Parker before, during his time in charge at Craven Cottage, Burnley are keen to explore a deal, but at this stage it remains unclear how much Fulham will want for the midfielder, who is under contract until 2027. During the 2019/20 campaign in the Championship, Reed played 28 games, including the play-offs for Parker, as he played an important role in the Cottagers’ promotion.

Harrison Reed’s Premier League record

Apps

123

Goals

3

Assists

8

In that promotion-winning campaign, Parker labelled Reed “outstanding” for his performances. He said: “I was really impressed with him. I thought he was outstanding. We brought him in against Cardiff last week – a tough team – and it was difficult for him, and I thought against WBA he was immense, really.”

Manchester City have been blessed with some incredible midfield gems over the years with the end of Kevin De Bruyne’s unbelievable journey with the Premier League giants now in sight.

With 108 goals and 177 assists next to his name, the Belgian will surely bow out as one of City’s modern day greats, with other stars that used to strut their stuff from the middle of the park in a similar dazzling way including David Silva and Yaya Toure among many others.

Now, it’s up to Pep Guardiola to find his next pool of exceptional midfield gems in the upcoming transfer window, with one target perhaps going down as a new take on Toure if everything aligns nicely.

Man City's pursuit of a new Toure

Before delving deeper into how City’s new target could go on to achieve greatness like the Ivorian, there are an extensive list of midfield names on Guardiola’s shopping list growing by the week.

Indeed, both German superstar Florian Wirtz and Nottingham Forest talent Morgan Gibbs-White have been incessantly linked with a big-money move to the Etihad, with Sporting CP winger Francisco Trincao also reportedly on City’s radar alongside arch rivals Manchester United.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

But, their focus might now have switched to sealing the signature of West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta, with reports from Spain suggesting that Guardiola and Co have set their sights on landing the enigmatic Brazilian this summer.

The Irons midfielder has been on the club’s radar for a while now, notably seeing a £60m bid rejected back in 2023, before they registered further interest in 2024.

Paqueta has been embroiled in a whole host of controversies at the London Stadium, but when assessing his midfield capabilities in isolation, he has the potential to become the Spaniard’s next Toure, with the South American a skilful, but tough presence centrally much like the ex-City number 42.

How Paqueta could be Guardiola's next Toure

It will be extremely hard for the Hammers number 10 to ever become as beloved as the now-retired midfielder, considering Toure would end his esteemed stay at the club with three league titles next to his name after picking up 125 goal contributions in total.

But, Paqueta – now valued at £30m via Transfermarkt – could slot into Guardiola’s main XI as a similarly lively presence anyway.

Indeed, the 27-year-old has garnered a reputation for being an entertaining figure in the heart of the West Ham midfield ever since his move to the London Stadium in 2022.

After all, even with a betting scandal weighing heavily, Paqueta has still managed to chip in with five goals this season in all competitions for Graham Potter’s lowly Hammers, which included a nicely-worked move being finished off by the 55-time Brazil international during Potter’s debut match from the dug-out.

Toure’s goal tally was always grander than just five for Guardiola’s men – with his lowest for a season coming in at the heftier seven – but Paqueta’s 18 goals and 14 assists overall for his current employers definitely makes him stick out as a tenacious yet attacking presence in the centre of the park akin to the former City icon.

CM

Toure

231

58

32

DM

Toure

210

24

20

AM

Toure

75

11

13

DM

Paqueta

5

0

0

AM

Paqueta

134

27

19

Much like the ex-Barcelona man before him too, Paqueta can either be unleashed as an attacking “maverick” – as he was once labelled by David Moyes – or slot into the side as a more defensively-minded midfielder, with his high tally of 6.3 duels won per game this season in the league sticking out in this regard.

City will just have to hope any scandals next to the Brazilian’s name begin to dissipate on his arrival to Manchester, with the serial trophy winners finding themselves burnt here in the past when Toure exited the club in 2018 after being reportedly shunned on his birthday.

Whilst it’s obvious the 27-year-old is a similarly flamboyant character, everyone at City will just pray the “incredible” talent – as he was also lauded by Moyes – lets his football do the talking like Toure also successfully managed.

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With Fabio Paratici set to return to the club, Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly in constant contact with an impressive defender who’s also found himself on the radar of Real Madrid.

Fabio Paratici set for Tottenham return

Having left the North London club in 2023 following a two-and-a-half-year ban by FIFA which he is still serving, Paratici has reportedly agreed to return to Tottenham. The Lilywhites have plenty of work to do this summer and the return of an experienced sporting director may well go a long way towards things finally changing for the better under Ange Postecoglou.

How much room Spurs have to manoeuvre in the transfer window is the big question. Should they miss out on winning the Europa League and, subsequently, a place in next season’s Champions League, those in North London are unlikely to have a large budget to spend. After taking one leg in the final with a 3-1 first leg victory over Bodo/Glimt, however, Europa League victory is still very much a possibility.

Many will be quick to assume that a place in Bilbao is now firmly in Spurs’ grasp and Postecoglou reiterated that a repeat of his side’s performance on Thursday night next week will see them advance.

He told reporters: “Obviously they scored the goal late, which doesn’t reflect our dominance in the game, but if we repeat that performance next week it’ll be enough for us to get through.

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“Yeah, I think it puts us in a good position. I thought the players were outstanding today, I thought our performance was everything it needed to be, really well organised and disciplined defensively and really calm going forward and created good opportunities for ourselves.”

Europa League victory would no doubt help to turn the narrative of their season on its head, perhaps saving Postecoglou’s job in the process and even luring top transfer targets to the club.

Tottenham in constant contact with Jonathan Tah

According to The Boot Room, Tottenham are in constant contact with Jonathan Tah over a summer switch following the expiry of his current Bayer Leverkusen deal at the end of the season. The Lilywhites are far from alone, however, with Manchester United and now even Real Madrid also looking to convince the defender into a move.

As Paratici plots his first transfer back, those in North London could end the summer having landed a true bargain. The Leverkusen defender played a pivotal part in last season’s invincible domestic double and has impressed once again throughout the current campaign.

A player who’s earned plenty of praise over the years, former Germany boss Joachim Low told reporters after handing Tah his international debut at the beginning of his career: “He’s a young player with a lot of potential. He’s physically strong and very quick. Everything is possible.”