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Liverpool could secure the man who can return them to the summit of English football after it was reported that Lautaro Martinez has been put up for sale by Inter.

What’s the story?

The Italian giants desperately need to raise a significant sum of cash through player sales this summer due to off-field issues, and the 23-year-old is one of the stars available for transfer over the coming months, according to The Guardian.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Martinez in the past as Jurgen Klopp looked to add more firepower to his stuttering attack, meaning a move for the deadly striker could still be on the cards.

Klopp needs him

Martinez has been sensational since arriving at San Siro, scoring 49 goals and providing 20 assists in 132 appearances for the Nerazzurri.

The Argentina international played a pivotal part in Inter’s first Serie A title for 11 years in 2020/21 as the youngster formed an unstoppable strike partnership with Romelu Lukaku.

However, due to the Milanese outfit’s owners incurring financial trouble, the South American’s time in Italian football appears to be drawing to a close.

Martinez’s exploits at Inter haven’t gone unnoticed, though, with his impressing performances attracting the attention from the continent’s biggest clubs, as well as his international teammate Lionel Messi.

“He’s spectacular. He has impressive qualities. You could tell he was going to be a great player, and he is showing that,” said Messi.

“He’s very strong, really good one on one, scores a lot of goals, and in the area he fights with anyone, holds it up, he can turn, scrap to win it all on his own. He has a lot of quality. He’s very complete.”

Any player receiving such praise from arguably the world’s greatest ever footballer must be extremely talented, and that is definitely the case with Martinez.

Liverpool struggled in several areas of the pitch throughout the recently concluded campaign, although perhaps most surprisingly of all, the Reds’ attack suffered a severe drop-off in productivity.

While Mohamed Salah continued to put the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis, the same can’t be said about Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

Klopp was able to call upon the impressive Diogo Jota on several occasions to relieve the strain on Mane, but a lack of strength in depth up-front meant Firmino was rarely allowed a rest.

Therefore, the German manager needs a player like the £63 million rated Martinez this summer as the Anfield outfit aim to regain their Premier League crown, meaning director of football Michael Edwards must sanction a swoop for the highly sort after hitman.

And, in other news…Get rid: Klopp must ruthlessly axe £120k-p/w Liverpool flop, he’s not good enough 

Liverpool have reportedly fallen behind Manchester City and Chelsea in the race to sign Borussia Dortmund superstar Erling Haaland.

The £99m-valued striker is arguably the most sought-after player in world football at the moment, having already achieved plenty in his blossoming career. Haaland has scored 53 goals in just 56 appearances for Dortmund, not to mention finding the net six times in his first 10 caps for Norway.

Liverpool have been linked with signing the 20-year-old this summer, but a host of other top clubs are also in the mix to snap him up.

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Liverpool lose ground in bid to sign Haaland

According to Football Insider, Liverpool have drifted behind both City and Chelsea in the battle to acquire Haaland’s signature, with a deal ‘not looking likely’.

The Merseysiders are believed to be ‘reluctant’ to pay the likely asking price of £100m for the Norwegian despite being ‘admirers’ of the youngster, in what would be a club-record transfer fee for an incoming player.

Transfer Tavern take

Signing Haaland would be an incredible feat by Liverpool, but in truth, it is very hard to see it happening. For starters, it looks likely that the Reds won’t even be in the Champions League next season, with the striker surely keen to be playing in Europe’s premier club competition.

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On top of that, the aforementioned £100m looks well out of Liverpool’s price range given their financial constraints, with Jurgen Klopp more likely to look for a shrewd deal for a talented attacker instead.

To put it bluntly, City and Chelsea are simply wealthier than the Reds and are therefore in a far stronger position to sign a player of such worth.

In other news, Liverpool may reportedly be willing to sanction the sale of one player this summer. Find out who it is here.

In an exclusive interview with Transfer Tavern, Steve Bull, who made 561 appearances for Wolves, has claimed that his former club were interested in Tammy Abraham but his price tag may have put them off.

Abraham has reportedly been made available this summer, however Chelsea are wanting to receive £40 million for the England international and Wolves are one of several teams credited with an interest in the striker.

Nuno Espirito Santo may want to have more than just Raul Jimenez as a reliable striker option going into next season after he has seen how poor Wolves have been without their talisman.

Speaking on how Wolves were interested in a move for Abraham and why they have been put off by his large price tag, Bull exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“I think there were talks early on this season about Wolves going in for him but I think the price tag put them off because it was about £40 million, but for me I think £40 million is absolutely nothing these days for a proven striker.

“I think he is someone that could settle in our side, but when Jimenez comes back he’s going to get straight back in the team so it’s up to the club whether or not they want to pay that much for a second striker.”

Abraham enjoyed a great season last year under Frank Lampard but since the former Chelsea midfielder was sacked and replaced by Thomas Tuchel, the striker has found game time difficult to come by.

Tuchel has favoured playing Kai Havertz or Timo Werner as their focal point over both Abraham and Olivier Giroud with the latter’s contract set to expire this summer.

Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson called an emergency meeting of Premier League captains to address the controversy over the Super League, prompting many Everton fans to react after their club’s statement on Tuesday.

The Reds, along with the five other members of the so-called ‘Big six’, are set to become founding members of the competition if it goes ahead. They would be guaranteed a place in an elite European tournament regardless of their finishing position in domestic leagues.

It is a move that could see the clubs banned from competing in the top-flight, and Everton were one of several top flight clubs to release a statement condemning the idea this week.

*This evening, Chelsea, Manchester City and Atletico Madrid have reportedly started talks to pull out, and the backlash from fans, players and media alike will have likely been a big reason why.

Henderson  gets Toffees talking

James Milner, Henderson’s vice-captain, came out in opposition to the proposals on Monday night after his side’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United.

And now Henderson, described in the report as a ‘trusted, respected figure’ among his counterparts, will call a summit in a bid to agree upon a collective way forward.

Everton fan feed The Toffee Blues relayed the Mail’s report to supporters – their skipper Seamus Coleman is of course one of those who would be in attendance, and it seems these fans are full behind Henderson’s actions…

“If the captains put a stop to this they should have a statue outside each of their grounds”

Credit: @HurnyEFC

“Good. Not much of a super league without the super players is it now? It’ll end up like the MLS full of past it players wanting one final pay check before retirement.”

Credit: @LiamRhodes23

“Unity mate. Unity.”

Credit: @AndyAtticus90

“Gone up in my estimation”

Credit: @ferninho

“Got a lot of time for Henderson”

Credit: @JayWilson_97

“Again I really like Jordan Henderson, shame he plays for the reds”

Credit: @Andre_Houghton

“This is progress. Let the 14 owners exclude the other 6 from meetings. This is not the players’ or captains’ fault. A united statement from all 20 Club Captains could be the start of ending this.”

Credit: @AntMack76

In other news, read Gary Neville’s three-word reaction to that Everton statement.

Leeds could land a major bargain by signing Germany international and PSG star Julian Draxler this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports back in the January transfer window suggested that Marcelo Bielsa’s side were very much interested in both Draxler and Udinese midfielder Rodrigo de Paul.

Now, it’s been suggested that Draxler is set to leave the Parc des Princes in the summer when his contract expires, and former Leeds man Noel Whelan has thrown his backing behind a potential move for him.

He said: “From what I’ve seen from him at PSG, I’d take him all day long. He’s very comfortable on the ball, he’s got a good turn of pace, he’s got international quality. These are the attributes you need.

“It’s a free contract. It’s only going to be wages and not a hefty fee. If you’re looking to strengthen and to bring players in that are going to push us further, then absolutely. If he’s available, you go and get him.”

Bye-bye Rodrigo

While summer signing Rodrigo has come out and publicly declared he is more than happy with life at Elland Road, that hasn’t stopped speculation in recent weeks suggesting he could still be on his way out of the club.

The attacking midfielder has struggled to showcase why Bielsa’s side brought him in from Valencia last summer, with just three goals in 21 Premier League games.

In Draxler, Leeds could land a bargain replacement for the Spain international, and someone who at still only 27, is just in the peak years of his career and could rejuvenate himself with a new challenge.

It was at Schalke, that Draxler was seen as the next big thing, with former sporting director Horst Heldt, declaring: “Julian is very, very young and his development isn’t over yet. That’s what makes him such an attractive proposition. It’s fantastic to have a player with such extraordinary talent here.”

The £18m-rated ace has only been on the fringes of things at Paris, but even despite his limited game-time – just 851 minutes of league football – he has popped up with six goal contributions.

The playmaker’s versatility of being able to play as a number ten or out wide on both flanks would give Bielsa a more than capable replacement for Rodrigo who has struggled to really take things by the scruff of the neck when playing behind Patrick Bamford.

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Draxler, however, may relish that role if given the chance.

Meanwhile, Leeds must unleash this star who’s “got it all”…

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has confirmed Glasgow Rangers’ Old Firm derby will be allowed to go ahead on Sunday.

Yousaf confirms Old Firm will be played

The Gers’ status as Premiership champions was confirmed on the Sunday before last after Celtic could only draw 0-0 with Dundee United. In the aftermath of that triumph, thousands of Gers supporters took to the streets of Glasgow to celebrate, breaking coronavirus regulations in the process.

Yousaf had suggested the match this weekend against Celtic could be cancelled if he did not receive assurances that such scenes would not be repeated (Herald Scotland). However, it appears he is now satisfied after he confirmed the game will be played (BBC).

Sensible

It always felt unlikely that the match would actually be cancelled. After all, there didn’t seem to be any real danger of such scenes being repeated given the game itself is pretty much a dead rubber. Cancelling it may have led to more trouble anyway.

Now, Steven Gerrard and his players can look towards Parkhead as they aim to get back to winning ways. It has been a difficult few days as the fall-out from their Europa League exit at the hands of Slavia Prague continues – an Old Firm game could well be the perfect distraction for them.

In other news, Rangers fans react to this Ondrej Kudela footage.

David Moyes must look to grant Manuel Lanzini his wish of leaving West Ham United this summer, having struggled to establish himself at the London Stadium this season.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the 28-year-old intends to quit the Irons at the end of the campaign, having fallen to a fringe role under Moyes.

Lanzini has two years remaining on his current contract but hopes to secure a new challenge, with interest spread across Europe.

Paris Saint-Germain are claimed to have approached West Ham in the recent winter market to enquire over a loan deal, but were blocked as Moyes was loath to losing the Argentine despite the temporary arrival of Jesse Lingard.

Clubs in the Middle East and Turkey have also been keeping tabs on Lanzini’s situation and could formalise their interest, should West Ham make the midfielder – who Darren Bent claims has “wonderful feet” – available for transfer.

Lanzini’s long-term London Stadium future is reportedly up in the air after setting a £10m-15m asking price for the summer market, when his situation is expected to be re-assessed.

The Hammers were keen to cash in on the 28-year-old last summer as Moyes sought to freshen up his squad, and have been cited by multiple outlets as valuing the Argentine at £15m.

West Ham paid UAE club Al Jazira £9m in 2016 for Lanzini, after taking up the club’s option to buy at the end of a season-long loan. He has now played 153 times for the Irons, scoring 22 goals and setting up another 23.

Should West Ham sell Lanzini?

Moyes has rarely felt the need to rely on Lanzini at any stage this season, with the five-cap international only starting three of his 13 Premier League appearances.

Of Lanzini’s 13 top-flight outings to date this term, just two have come in West Ham’s last 10 games, while he was left an unused substitute on the other eight occasions – once more than he had been over the opening 19 games of the campaign, per Transfermarkt.

He was only called on to play the final eight minutes of extra time against Manchester United in the FA Cup fifth round, too, despite starting both of West Ham’s previous ties plus all three of the Irons’ Carabao Cup fixtures.

A lack of action to that degree makes it no surprise to see claims of Lanzini wanting out of the London Stadium this summer, when Moyes must grant the playmaker his wish as the Argentine has rarely delivered when given his chance.

Lanzini scored his only goal of the season so far against Tottenham Hotspur during his first appearance of the Premier League season back in October, while providing two of his three assists in the Carabao Cup against two League One sides in September.

All the while, he is making £70,000 per week on a contract signed in 2019, which has seen the Argentine earn just shy of £2m over the 28 weeks since the season began. That equates to £653,000 for each time he has started a Premier League game or provided an assist in all competitions, or £103,000 per appearance over his combined 19 outings.

It is unsustainable to continue paying Lanzini more than the likes of Declan Rice (£60k-p/w), Aaron Cresswell (£50k-p/w) and Vladimir Coufal (£31k-p/w) when the Argentine cannot deliver on the pitch, making this summer a fitting point for West Ham to grant a transfer.

AND in other news, West Ham have set their sights on a “competitive beast” who won’t cost David Sullivan a penny…

Despite starting him against Crystal Palace at the weekend, Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho must drop Harry Winks from the starting line-up against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League tonight.

The English ace just doesn’t offer much more than keeping things steady in the park, and his display against Palace was proof of that – in their post-match player ratings, The Evening Standard said he was “neat and tidy”.

In fact, as per Whoscored, out of those players who have featured at least ten times in all competitions this season for Spurs, Winks has the lowest average match rating of any of them with a measly 6.38.

His tally of providing only 0.3 key passes per game is even lower than left-back Ben Davies (0.4), while his average of 0.8 tackles per match is the third-worst in the squad – whether it’s defensively or going forward, Winks’ impact hasn’t been too significant this campaign.

Speaking back in January, former Spurs man Darren Bent delivered his verdict on the £50k-a-week earning Winks, saying: “At the end of the day, Mourinho has got several options in the middle of the park. We know how Mourinho likes to play. If you look at his older teams, for instance, they’re all big powerful guys and this team is being built using the same kind of DNA.”

After being a crucial part of the squad during the years of Mauricio Pochettino’s time in charge – he played 115 times under the Argentine – Winks has quite simply been overtaken in the pecking order by several Spurs stars.

Last summer’s arrival Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has firmly established himself as one of the first names on the team-sheet for Mourinho this season, playing 40 games in all competitions already, including playing the full 90 minutes in every single Premier League game.

That really only leaves one other space open in that deeper lying midfield two that Mourinho looks to go with, and when you’ve got the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Moussa Sissoko and Eric Dier, among others who could play there, then it really doesn’t give much room for error for Winks.

One bad display is enough to see you lose your spot in the team, and his performance at the weekend against Crystal Palace certainly didn’t pull up any trees or send Mourinho a timely message about keeping his place.

When Spurs take on Zagreb tonight in the Europa League, Winks should not be on the team-sheet. It would be a ruthless call to make given he was just handed a start against Palace, but it’s one Mourinho has to make.

Meanwhile, Spurs played a blinder by selling this man for £17m…

Manchester United’s attacking injury woes are set to continue this weekend, with as many as three attacking stars set to be ruled out for their FA Cup quarter-final meeting with Leicester City.

Ahead of the match, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed that Marcus Rashford is set to miss the game having been withdrawn at half-time against AC Milan on Thursday, whilst Anthony Martial and Edinson Cavani are doubts having been suffering with their own respective injury problems.

Should none of the trio be fit enough for the trip to the east Midlands, it leaves the Red Devils extremely thin on the ground when it comes to attacking options.

It would likely lead Solskjaer to deploying the likes of Mason Greenwood, Daniel James and Amad Diallo in an attacking trio in what would be a huge downgrade for the Red Devils.

Of course, the three are talented young players but they have not managed to get anywhere near the output of Rashford, Cavani or Martial throughout the 2020/21 campaign. Between them this season, the three have managed to score 32 goals, whilst notching 17 assists in all competitions, a huge contribution.

Meanwhile, James, Greenwood and Diallo can only boast ten goals and five assists combined. As a matter of fact, the injured trio’s impact this season is even more telling that, without their goals, United would be 16 points worse off in the Premier League table. This would leave the Red Devils on 41 points and firmly marooned in mid-table.

It goes without saying that United’s attacking threat will be hugely reduced at the King Power Stadium and that is certainly not what the Red Devils need as they travel to a Leicester side who have only conceded one goal in the FA Cup so far this season.

AND in more news, take a look at Paul Pogba’s inspirational cameo in the UEFA Europa League win against AC Milan…

Tottenham Hotspur suffered a fourth defeat in five league outings on Saturday night after they were well-beaten by Premier League leaders Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

Jose Mourinho’s men were more than holding their own until the 23rd minute and once again, a defensive mistake swung the game against them completely.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg brought down Ilkay Gundogan inside the area before Rodri stepped up to slot home the opener despite Hugo Lloris getting a palm to it – the German would go onto complete the rout with a second-half brace.

The Spurs boss kept his faith in Erik Lamela after an encouraging pair of matches in the past week – indeed, the Argentine had been a rare positive amid their rotten form but the 28-year-old winger failed to repay his manager as he put in an abysmal showing in Manchester.

Lamela drew the second-lowest rating of any player to feature in the match, being graded a 6.1 by SofaScore, and it’s easy to see why.

No Spurs player lost as many battles as he did.

The €30m (£26m) ace could only win three of 11 duels at a success rate of 27%, which means he was largely dominated by the City midfield as he was initially deployed in the no.10 role before switching to the right at half-time.

Every City player on his side of the pitch was graded at 7.5 or better by SofaScore and that tells the whole story.

Though he wasn’t just lightweight and weak – at times, you could be forgiven for thinking that Lamela was playing in blue instead of Spurs’ dodgy undertones of green.

Lamela committed four fouls, which was double what anyone else on the pitch could manage, meaning he proved to consistently be a liability as he was handing City golden opportunities from set-pieces.

As described perfectly by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, it was a ‘typically chaotic and infuriating Lamela display’ – both he and football.london’s Alasdair Gold rated him a measly 5/10.

Given the 25-time Argentina international is among the club’s highest earners at a whopping £85k-per-week, he really should be doing better, especially as he was trusted to start only his fourth league game of the campaign.

Lamela badly let Mourinho and Spurs down on the night with an absolutely shambolic display.

AND in other news, £60k-per-week Spurs calamity endured nightmare display vs Man City…