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Newcastle United have held talks with the agent of Rangers teenager Alex Lowry, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Lowry profiled

Lowry is 18 years of age and is primarily an attacking midfielder who can also play as a right-winger or even in a deeper midfield role.

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The Scot has already made four senior appearances for Rangers, scoring once and providing one assist. Former Ibrox boss Graeme Murty labelled Lowry’s self-confidence as ‘remarkable’, with reports back in February suggesting the teenager has turned down a three-and-a-half-year deal at Ibrox.

His current contract expires in 2023, and it looks as if Newcastle are now leading the race for his services.

The Latest: Hotel meeting

Football Insider shared an update regarding Lowry and Newcastle on Monday morning after being informed by a recruitment source.

They claimed that head of recruitment Steve Nickson met Lowry’s agent in a hotel prior to Newcastle’s Premier League win over Wolves earlier this month.

The report stated that the Magpies are at the front of the queue for the Rangers youngster, who also has interest elsewhere.

The Verdict: Shrewd move

It looks as if Lowry could be a future star with a number of top-tier sides keen on his services, so Newcastle’s decision to meet with his agent and outline their plans could turn out to be a shrewd move.

It would be interesting to see what Newcastle would do with Lowry, should a move to St. James’ Park go through. He already has senior experience in Scotland, and with Eddie Howe having just two attacking midfielders on the books, it could present an opportunity for Lowry to flirt between the club’s Under-23 ranks and first-team squad.

A clear pathway through to first-team football should be outlined by the Magpies, so it looks as if this could be a transfer to watch closely.

In other news: Newcastle now want to sign ’emerging superstar’ for Howe; Staveley has already spoken with agent. 

A number of Liverpool supporters are desperate for the Reds to sign Federico Chiesa after it was claimed they showed interest in him this summer.

There were many players who stood out during Euro 2020 but Chiesa was arguably one of the best individuals on show, winning the tournament with Italy.

The winger was unplayable at times with his direct running and power and he ended up scoring twice and playing a major role in his country’s success.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375258″]

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Chiesa before, and according to Sky Italy journalist Gianluca Di Marzio [via LFC Transfer Room on Twitter],  they tried to convince him to join the club in the summer.

His father wanted him to remain in Italy, however, and the move never came to fruition.

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Liverpool fans react to Chiesa latest

Some Liverpool fans clearly think there’s life in the saga, though, taking to Twitter to urge the Reds to sign Chiesa.

“Wow please make it happen!”

Credit: @AshwinR94

“Chiesa would be a great addition”

Credit: @TheShaenk

“Sign him @LFC”

Credit: @hankered

“Surely go back for him”

Credit: @robertorebelo_

“Baller. Hope he ends up coming to LFC”

Credit: @BobbyNEIN_

“We should do everything possible to get him when he becomes available…my favourite player”

Credit: @BonafideLFC

In other news, some Liverpool fans have flocked to a key James Pearce tweet. Read more here.

Tottenham missing out on Wolves winger Adama Traore is not the end of the world, former Premier League midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast.

Traore was linked with a move away from Molineux throughout the summer transfer window and Tottenham were said to be one team keen on his signature.

According to The Telegraph, the north London club had a loan offer rejected for the 25-year-old as his former boss Nuno Espirito Santo eyed up a reunion.

He was a key player for Nuno during the Tottenham manager’s time at Wolves, making just over 130 appearances under him. Still, for Palmer, missing out on Traore is not too much of a blow for Spurs.

“Not the end of the world,” the ex-Leeds United star said to FFC when asked for his opinion on Tottenham failing to sign Traore. “If you’re talking about Tottenham being a top-six side, top-seven side, I don’t see how he fits into that team.

“He’s done well since he’s come into the Premier League, but again, it’s that inconsistency with him. I don’t think he’s a top, top player.”

Traore has certainly done well at times since joining Wolves, winning plaudits from those in the game such as Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp. But he is inconsistent, managing just the two league goals last season.

Flocking to Twitter, a number of Manchester City fans have been left excited by a claim involving Paris-Saint Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe.

City have got their Premier League title defence off to a solid start despite their brief injury scares and dropped points away to Tottenham and at home to Southampton.

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Indeed, the Sky Blues have just come off the back of a crucial 1-0 win away to European champions and title rivals Chelsea, with Gabriel Jesus scoring the only goal at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Now, it appears that City supporters have more to celebrate as a claim emerges involving Mbappe and Pep Guardiola’s side.

According to reporter Duncan Castles on The Transfer Window Podcast, it is said that the club have now been given a ‘mandate’ to sign the France forward and that they want him at ‘any cost’.

Flocking to this claim, many fans have been left excited by the prospect of signing the 22-year-old, who has scored 163 club career goals so far – check out some of their verdicts below.

Man City fans excited by Mbappe claim…

“IT’S HAPPENING”

Credit: @NoMoreWxrds

“Bring him to City ASAP”

Credit: @Nathan6ii

“Stop teasing me….”

Credit: @dameue3

“get him home please”

Credit: @Erlipson6

“I hope this is true”

Credit: @Dieguitocity

“Yesssssssssssssss”

Credit: @Kevin57197624

“FINALLLLLLLLLLLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY MANIFESTATION COMING TRUE!

Credit: @MichaelNana

In other news: ‘Most underrated player in our squad’…lots of Man City fans wowed by star’s ‘best performance ever, find out more here.

West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a major injury blow ahead of their upcoming Championship fixture.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the West Brom website, Valerien Ismael confirmed that Grady Diangana will not be available for selection for the trip to Swansea City on Wednesday evening, as the winger is yet to recover from a hamstring injury which saw him ruled out of the 1-0 win over Birmingham City last Friday.

Speaking about the current condition of the 23-year-old, Ismael said: “Grady won’t be available for the game because he only had his first session with the group on Tuesday. It’s too close for him to be able to play. If everything goes correctly then hopefully him being available for Saturday won’t be a problem.”

Meanwhile, the Frenchman also revealed that Alex Mowatt, who was brought off midway through the second half of the Birmingham victory due to a toe injury, will be assessed prior to Wednesday’s fixture.

On the central midfielder’s fitness, the 46-year-old said: “We’ll assess Alex before the game at Swansea. We’re going to keep a close eye on things and how he is before we make a decision on him.”

Ismael will be gutted

While it is undeniable that Diangana has not been in the best form of his career this season, having scored no goals and registered just one assist over his 11 Championship appearances, the absence of the winger for the trip to Swansea will nevertheless have left Ismael gutted. The 23-year-old proved in the Baggies’ promotion-winning campaign back in 2019/20 that he undoubtedly possesses the ability to help fire the club back to the Premier League.

Indeed, over his 30 Championship appearances that season, the £9m-rated forward bagged eight goals, provided six assists and created eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.6 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the £36k-per-week man earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.06, ranking him as Albion’s third-best performer throughout the campaign in question.

As such, while, as previously mentioned, the former West Ham United winger is yet to hit these heights so far this season, it is abundantly clear that Diangana can win a game in an instant for West Brom, a talent that Ismael will sorely miss on Wednesday night.

In other news: Forget Hugill: Ismael could save WBA millions by placing trust in 20 y/o “star boy”

Dean Smith would love to have Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie at Aston Villa, says Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield.

McKennie had been linked with a move to Villa last summer but ended up joining Juventus on loan from Schalke before signing permanently for the Serie A giants.

However, the £22.5m-rated USA international could be on the move again, with transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio recently reporting that Juventus are open to a sale after signing Euro 2020 star Manuel Locatelli from Sassuolo.

It remains to be seen what happens with McKennie, but Hatfield is fairly certain that he is a player Smith would still take. He told FFC:

“I’m sure Dean Smith would love him at Villa. The question I suppose is where does he fit in?

“I think Villa really do need a defensive midfielder and you could stick Weston McKennie there, but he seems very much the type who wants to be kind of bustling around and getting forward.”

McKennie was a regular for Juventus last season, has not been at the Allianz Stadium for too long and is still young so has time to develop into a better player, so it is a surprise that Juventus are willing to let him go.

Of course, they do have a new manager in Massimiliano Allegri and have obviously just brought in Locatelli.

Crystal Palace have been enjoying a great start to their season so far, with the side signing a number of young players who have been important to their good form in the Premier League, and the good business could continue into the January transfer window if Patrick Vieira can make an important decision.

What’s the word?

According to MailOnline, Burnley are interested in signing Christian Benteke from Crystal Palace to replace Chris Wood, who left the club this week to join Newcastle United, leaving Sean Dyche’s side in a weak position whilst battling relegation this season.

The report suggests that Burnley have made an enquiry for the Palace striker and the South London club are open to selling Benteke during January, but are only interested in a fee of between £10m-£12m.

Vieira must axe Benteke to sign Nketiah

The Eagles have been strongly linked to signing Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal this month, but with Mikel Arteta trying to squash the rumours by insisting he will stay with him at the Emirates, the move could be set back until the summer when the 22-year-old will be out of contract unless Palace are in a position to offer a high bid for the striker.

They could discover the money to do exactly that by axing Benteke before the window closes.

The £120k-per-week Palace forward has been subject to his fair share of criticism over his time at the club with former Eagles midfielder, John Salako, claiming Benteke “can’t do anything” back in 2019:

“I really feel for the lad to a point because he just can’t do it. It’s like he’s got his boots on the wrong feet. He just can’t do anything right; it’s amazing.”

Benteke has been a loyal player to Palace with 37 goals and 12 assists in 168 appearances, but at 32-years-old, it could be the perfect opportunity for Vieira to move him on and inject further youth into the squad, developing the future of the team by giving more opportunity to the likes of Michael Olise and using the money made on the sale to Burnley to purchase a young striker in Nketiah.

The Clarets will surely be keen to sign a striker as soon as possible to boost their chances of survival after losing Wood, so the French manager must make an important decision quickly on whether he cashes in on Benteke or not.

In other news: Aaron Ramsey to Crystal Palace is feasible

Lots of Glasgow Rangers fans have been left raging over a post from the club’s social media channels.

As per the club’s official Twitter feed, David McCallum, Brian Gilmour, Jermain Defoe and Colin Stewart will now all lead their first team while the recruitment process for a new manager continues.

It was reported that further talks will be held with three candidates in particular, two unnamed and the other being Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who many Gers fans want to see getting the job.

However, with the Scottish League Cup semi-final against Hibernian set to take place on Sunday, it is worrying that it does not seem as if the Light Blues have settled on a new coach yet. The process needs to be accelerated quickly in order for them to be best prepared for what is a crucial game in their season.

Rangers fans on manager news

These Gers supporters were left raging as the news on their manager search was shared on Twitter:

“Don’t say that”

Credit: @RampantRyanJack

“Not a good sign. Was hopeful deal done today.”

Credit: @CraigRMScott

“Not funny”

Credit: @ScottWinning72

“You serious?”

Credit: @williamreilly72

“Delete this”

Credit: @HayleygreerX

“Just not what we wanted to see”

Credit: @Craig55_

In other news, find out what Van Bronckhorst news had these Gers fans going wild

Wolves haven’t been particularly potent in the penalty area in the Premier League this season, with Bruno Lage’s side finding the back of the net just 33 times in 32 games.

While the Old Gold still have some games left until the end of the campaign to add some goals to their tally, it seems as though the Midlands club could be in danger of losing one of their key figures that has contributed to some of the team’s tally.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Sky Sports, Wolves midfielder Ruben Neves is a top target for Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta this summer. 

Wolves signed the midfielder back in the 2017 summer transfer window from FC Porto in a deal worth a reported fee of £15.8m.

Since then, the Portuguese international has comfortably cemented himself as an important figure for his side by racking up a total of 207 appearances across all competitions.

In those appearances, the 25-year-old has scored 24 goals and provided 12 assists along the way.

Lage would be fuming

With four goals and two assists to his name in 28 league appearances this season, only Raul Jimenez has delivered more goal contributions than the midfield star.

Labelled as a “maestro” in the past by Tim Spiers, Neves has also been praised by the Wolves journalist for his “sensational” goals during his time at Molineux.

To highlight how impressive the £36m-rated talent is on the ball, no other midfielder in the Premier League has been able to complete more long-ball passes than Neves.

Also, only Joao Moutinho (51) has completed more tackles than his fellow countryman (41), showing how important they both are to the team in a defensive sense.

His overall performances in the league have earned him a rating of 6.95, making him the second-highest rated player in Lage’s squad to start more than five games according to WhoScored.

Taking all of this into account, it’s undeniable that the former Porto star would be a massive loss for Wolves if he were to leave in the summer, an eventuality that would surely have Lage fuming.

Moving forward, with the summer transfer window in mind, it should be a top priority for the Old Gold to do all they can to keep hold of their midfield star and out of the clutches of any other club.

In other news: Wolves targeting “breathtaking” £32m-rated gem, he’s miles better than Traore

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Alan Hutton of BBC Radio 5 Live has said that manager David Moyes has been dealt a blow at West Ham based off what he’s seen in the transfer market.

The Lowdown: West Ham flounder in January…

Despite lodging record-breaking transfer bids, including for big names like Leeds United duo Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips, the Irons and recruitment chief Rob Newman left it too late to bring a new player in through the door.

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Offers were also made for strikers like Benfica’s Darwin Nunez and Atalanta forward Duvan Zapata in the eleventh hour, but nothing came of these approaches.

As West Ham aim to qualify for the Champions League, Hutton has claimed that the Irons’ lack of transfer activity could come back to haunt Moyes.

The Latest: Hutton makes claim…

Speaking to FI, the former Aston Villa defender and Scotland international also says the fans ‘won’t be happy’ with their efforts in January.

“I’m not a West Ham fan but we could all see what they were needing and what they were after,” Hutton explained.

“So I’m pretty sure David Moyes knew exactly what he needed in this transfer window. It’s not come to fruition, he’s not been able to get anybody through the door.

“I think the fans won’t be happy with it and neither will the manager. Especially when you think about the situation they’re in at the moment, they’re really pushing for the top four.

“There are other teams around them who have strengthened. It’s really close and tight. So it’s a missed opportunity, I think. If they only added that little bit of quality.

“They only needed maybe one or two players, even just one, to help get them over that line. They’ve not been able to do it, so it’s a blow for them.”

The Verdict: Agreed…

Despite links to many players, including long-time targets like Jesse Lingard, not bringing at least one of them through the door certainly will be disappointing.

West Ham maintain the fight on many fronts as they not only look to make the UCL, but also go on an impressive Europa League run and potentially in the FA Cup also.

It remains to be seen whether the Irons can maintain the path to achieving history with such little depth, although, it’s safe to say it will be a huge challenge.

In other news: West Ham source: Moyes back in for ‘explosive’ 2020 target who as fast as anything, find out more here.