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Glasgow Rangers are at the front of queue for an Italian striker, according to Calciomercato in Italy. 

The lowdown

The Light Blues have already strengthened their forward line this summer with the signing of Antonio Colak from PAOK, although another striking option in Cedric Itten has left Ibrox.

His place could now be filled by reported target Patrick Cutrone, for whom Wolves paid £16.2m to sign from AC Milan ahead of the 2019/20 season, but it hasn’t worked out for him at Molineux.

He has only made 28 appearances for the Premier League club in three years, netting just three goals for the Old Gold. The 24-year-old has had three spells out on loan, at Fiorentina, Valencia and most recently Empoli.

He is now into the final year of his contract with Bruno Lage’s side, who may consequently view this summer as their last real opportunity to cash in on him.

The latest

Calciomercato’s report stated that ‘this is the right time for a transfer’ ahead of the expiry of Cutrone’s deal. ‘Requests are not lacking’, with clubs in Serie A keen on the 24-year-old off the back of his time in Empoli.

However, as things stand, Rangers and La Liga outfit Celta Vigo ‘are in the lead’ in the race for his signature.

The verdict

Cutrone started 15 games for Empoli last season but only netted three goals. He had hardly been prolific in his previous loan spells either, failing to get off the mark for Valencia and scoring just five times in 34 outings for Fiorentina.

It’s a far cry from the player who racked up 11 goals in 25 caps for Italy at under-21 level and 27 as a youngster at Milan. His time at the San Siro still accounts for 70 (82%) of his 85 recorded career goals, and 14 (61%) of his 23 assists, across senior and youth levels.

In 2018, he featured on the same Golden Boy shortlist as the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Phil Foden.

Van Bronckhorst might believe that there’s plenty of potential to unlock based on those early days of Cutrone’s career, and the Italian might just thrive in a league which only ranks ninth in the UEFA coefficient.

Aston Villa correspondent Ashley Preece has claimed that AC Milan have been in contact over a move for Carney Chukwuemeka.

The Lowdown: Milan linked with Chukwuemeka

Chukwuemeka, who Steven Gerrard has backed to become “a big player for Aston Villa”, was left out of Villa’s pre-season tour of Australia and is into the final 12 months of his contract.

The 18-year-old has failed to agree on a new deal in the Midlands and is thought to be holding out for a staggering £100,000 per week.

That has resulted in Villa placing a £20m price tag on him, with reports last month suggesting that AC Milan are preparing an opening offer in the region of £8.5m.

The Latest: Preece’s comments

Preece was asked by one Villa supporter in a Q&A for Birmingham Live if Chukwuemeka is ‘definitely going’.

The reporter replied by saying that Milan are ‘strong favourites’ for the teenager’s services and have been in contact over a transfer.

Preece stated:

“Carney; sticking point is Villa’s asking price £20m+. Milan simply not paying that. Milan strong, strong favourites to get him; contact has been made. Don’t expect deal to be wrapped up until later this month, though. I can’t see Villa selling to another PL club, either, no matter what the price. Milan very much front-runners.”

The Verdict: Cash in

It could be best for all involved if a deal can be reached this summer, even if it is below Villa’s £20m asking price, as it doesn’t look as if Chukwuemeka will be featuring regularly this season after being left out of the squad for the pre-season tour.

The 18-year-old won’t want to be sitting on the sidelines for the next 12 months, and Villa won’t want to lose their exciting youngster for nothing in a potential pre-contract agreement next January.

Therefore, Milan and Villa meeting in the middle at around £13m-£15m could leave everyone fairly happy.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has been giving his thoughts on Crystal Palace’s interest in Napoli forward Hirving Lozano.

The Lowdown: Palace links

The Eagles have made four signings so far this summer ahead of Patrick Vieira’s second season in charge but appear to want even more.

Reports in recent days have claimed that Palace are interested in signing Lozano, who is open to a move to the Premier League.

The 26-year-old’s new representatives apparently have a positive relationship with Palace officials, with West Ham also keen on the player.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s comments

Talking to FootballFanCast, O’Rourke was excited at Palace’s interest in Lozano, labelling the forward as a ‘top player’ and describing a possible move to Selhurst Park as ‘huge’.

“Yeah would be a huge signing, Hirving Lozano. I think a real top player across the world, a Mexican international. Was a big signing for Napoli as well when they signed him from PSV, so for Crystal Palace to be in that market looking at him just shows where Crystal Palace are looking to go right now.

“They’re looking like building an exciting young team under Patrick Vieira and they’ll be hoping to build upon an impressive last term in this new season as well.”

The Verdict: Ambitious

Lozano, described as ‘unique’ by Luciano Spalleti, has scored 124 goals during his career for both club and country and has played in European competitions over the past five seasons.

Palace can’t offer that at this moment in time, so securing a move for the attacker would be a huge coup for Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman.

He could be just what Vieira needs with Palace yet to make a senior attacking addition this summer, and with Lozano capable of playing on either wing and even central if required, this could be one to watch over the coming weeks.

Tottenham Hotspur have emerged as frontrunners in the chase for Fiorentina star Nikola Milenkovic as reports from Italy share the latest on their interest.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye new defender?

The Evening Standard, sharing news after Spurs’ signing of Djed Spence, claimed that a new central defender could still be signed before the end of this summer transfer window.

Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Spence and Clement Lenglet have come through the Premier League door at Hotspur Way, and despite the latter man’s arrival on loan from Barcelona, another centre-back isn’t ruled out.

Milenkovic has been linked in recent days with the Italian press now making a fairly promising claim.

The Latest: Tottenham out in front…

Indeed, according to local Florence outlet Corriere Fiorentino, there has been an update on the chase.

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They claim (via Sport Witness) that Spurs are ‘out in front’ for the 37-cap Serbia international alongside Serie A giants Juventus and manager Antonio Conte is ‘thought to be a fan’.

It is also believed that the Lilywhites were expected to carry out in depth studies of the 24-year-old yesterday.

The Verdict: Make the move?

As per WhoScored, Milenkovic stands out as a colossal defensive presence for Fiorentina and we believe he could be a shrewd option.

The towering defender won more aerial duels and made a higher number of clearances per 90 than any of his teammates last term, proving himself indispensable and a real mainstay.

It’s clear that former teammate Dusan Vlahovic’s verdict, having called Milenkovic a ‘sensational defender’, still stands today as Spurs eye a move.

Everton have made five new signings this summer so far but are still in the market for a new striker before the transfer window closes, and now a potential transfer target has been identified.

What’s the latest?

According to The Daily Mail, Everton are one of four Premier League clubs interested in signing RC Strasbourg striker Ludovic Ajorque.

As per the report, the Toffees join Brentford, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City in their interest of acquiring the services of the popular player this summer.

Strasbourg are willing to sell their player before the transfer window closes but the asking price is believed to be £18m.

He could be Lukaku 2.0

Everton are in desperate need of a new striker at Goodison Park, with the side having to start their Premier League season without one in their opener against Chelsea last weekend following an injury to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Salomon Rondon serving a one-match suspension from last season.

With Calvert-Lewin missing for at least the next six weeks, it would make perfect sense for the Toffees to bring in a striker that can fit seamlessly into his role as Lampard would have had a style of play in mind throughout pre-season to enhance the striker’s chances of converting chances in front of goal.

As a result, finding a striker who is a similar profile of player as the 25-year-old would be the most advantageous option for the Toffees to get stuck straight into picking up points in the Premier League over the coming fixtures where Calvert-Lewin will be certainly missing and Ajorque could be the perfect fit.

The hulking 6 foot 6 goal machine who was hailed a “complete player” by Julian Stephan has been dominating his opponents with ease over in Ligue 1, scoring 12 goals, delivering eight assists and creating an impressive 11 big chances over 36 appearances last season.

Ajorque has no trouble using his stature when causing trouble for the players he comes up against with the player ranking in the top 3% for tackles compared to his positional peers in the top five European Leagues over the last 12 months, as well as ranking inside the top 10% for aerial duels won.

With that in mind, Everton could even land their next Romelu Lukaku, a player the club has struggled to replace since he left Goodison Park. During his time on Merseyside, he bagged 87 goals and delivered 29 assists over 166 appearances, with a goal contribution every 120 minutes for the Merseysiders.

Just like Ajorque, Lukaku also uses his wiry 6 foot 2 stature to knock players off the ball and win possession in the air in the final third with the striker completing the majority of his aerial duels (52%) last season at Chelsea, something that the Frenchman can now emulate if Everton can secure a deal.

With that being said, the signing of Ajorque could be a big addition for Everton, but they will need to act fast as they need a striker as soon as possible in order to boost their hopes of staying in the division.

Leeds United are eyeing a surprise move for Brighton forward Neal Maupay, according to 90min.

The Lowdown: Maupay to Forest?

The Frenchman, who was hailed as ‘quality’ by Irish broadcaster Nathan Murphy, appears to be on the verge of ending his three-year association with the Seagulls.

Nottingham Forest have reportedly agreed a package worth £15m with add-ons for the 26-year-old, who is into the final 12 months of his Brighton contract.

However, a transfer is yet to be announced, and it looks like there could be a late twist involving the 91-goal forward.

The Latest: Leeds linked with Maupay

90min shared an update regarding Maupay’s future on Tuesday, with a number of clubs looking to hijack Nottingham Forest’s proposed move for the Frenchman.

They claimed that both Everton and Fulham have made contact over a potential deal and that Leeds are ‘keeping a close eye on the situation’ due to Patrick Bamford’s recent injury scare.

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The Verdict: Unlikely

Maupay has scored more goals against the Whites than any other club (four in seven appearances) but has a history with Leeds supporters, having once shared a provocative Instagram post of him celebrating a goal against the Whites in front of their fans.

He appears to be on the verge of joining Forest, so a surprise move to Yorkshire does seem unlikely at this stage.

Leeds could do with a forward like Maupay to provide competition to Patrick Bamford and Joe Gelhardt, but it looks as if they may go down the route of bringing in a young exciting attacker in Wilfried Gnonto.

Crystal Palace moving for Watford forward Ismaila Sarr is a “real possibility”, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Villa move falls through

The Eagles have been linked with a move for Sarr in recent weeks but looked set to lose out to Aston Villa.

Steven Gerrard’s side agreed on a deal in the region of £25m for the Senegal international, who even reportedly passed a medical with Villa.

However, the Midlands side pulled out of a transfer at the beginning of the week, and it appears as if a move to Selhurst Park could still be on the cards.

The Latest: O’Rourke’s comments

O’Rourke was talking to The Transfer Tavern regarding Sarr following the move to Villa Park collapsing.

He stated that there’s a ‘real possibility’ Palace could make their move for the forward and should know the figures involved over a potential transfer.

“There’s a real possibility that Palace could move for Sarr. They do like to the Senegal international and they were reportedly leading the race for him before Aston Villa did agree that fee with Watford before the move fell down.

“Palace know what the figures are probably if they are to try to get Sarr out of Watford.”

The Verdict: Sign

Sarr can play anywhere across the front three but is primarily a right-winger. And Patrick Vieira has a shortage of right-wingers in his first-team squad, so this could be a very shrewd signing.

Ben Foster has raved over the African superstar, calling him ‘frightening’ and ‘phenomenal’. He already has Premier League experience, contributing to 18 goals in 50 games, and will be able to provide cover in other areas which could come in handy as the season progresses.

It seems as if Palace may have to match a £25m fee Villa agreed with Watford last weekend, though, so Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman will need to make a decision soon.

Scottish champions Celtic look set to see promising goalkeeper Rory Mahady leave Parkhead this summer, with the 16-year-old seemingly on his way to Leeds United.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Yorkshire-based outfit have ‘agreed a deal’ to bring the teenager to Elland Road, with the young Scotsman said to have agreed personal terms ahead of his impending departure.

The report suggests that Jesse Marsch’s side have won the race for his signature ahead of Manchester City, with the ‘keeper set to sign on a scholarship deal with the Whites before securing a professional contract once he turns 17.

The piece goes on to add that the Hoops wanted to keep the promising talent in Glasgow, although he has been tempted into making the switch to the Premier League.

Hjelde repeat

It would not be the first time that Ange Postecoglou and co have seen a talented youth product poached by a club south of the border in recent times, with Norwegian defender Leo Hjelde having also traded the Old Firm outfit for Leeds last summer.

There is seemingly a growing trend concerning young prospects opting to move to England in their teenage years, with Celtic having also lost 16-year-old forward Ben Doak to Liverpool earlier this year

Bitter rivals Rangers also saw striking sensation Rory Wilson link up with Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa, with Scottish Premiership clubs no doubt frustrated by continually seeing such exciting talents hoovered up by Premier League clubs.

Mahady looks set to be yet another to follow that well-trodden path, with the Scotland U17 international set to be a notable loss having been dubbed ‘one of the best young keepers in Britain’, as per the Daily Record.

At a club such as Celtic which is famed for its production of particularly local, Scottish talent – with the icon Lisbon Lions a testament to that youth system – it will be of great concern that the pathway between the academy and the first-team is being disrupted by rival interest.

With Brexit rules seeing those in the Premier League turn their attention towards the SPFL for the next wave of superstars, it appears that the case of the likes of Mahady and Hjelde is only set to become the norm as the years progress.

Liverpool and Chelsea both made moves to sign Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Bellingham a wanted man

The 19-year-old is arguably one of the most sought-after young players in world football currently, his £72m Transfermarkt value the joint-highest of any teenager in the sport.

Bellingham has been constantly linked with a move to Liverpool this summer, with those links showing no sign of letting up, although for now he has remained for Dortmund for another season ahead of a possible exit next year.

Romano has since made an interesting claim regarding the Reds’ pursuit of the midfielder in recent weeks.

The Latest: Romano makes Bellingham claim

Speaking to Caught Offside, the Italian claimed that both Liverpool and Chelsea attempted to sign Bellingham this summer, but to no avail.

Dortmund had never considered allowing the England international to depart, but Romano expects that numerous clubs will be in the race to sign the youngster next summer, if his current employers sanction a departure.

The Premier League duo’s attentions will duly turn to snapping up Bellingham in 2023, in what could be a fierce battle for his signature.

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The Verdict: Matter of time?

Liverpool and Bellingham feels like a match made in heaven, given the Reds’ current midfield travails; and while it won’t be easy for the Merseyside club to get him next summer given that it may require a nine-figure transfer fee, they ought to be in a strong position to acquire his signature considering their success under a former Dortmund manager in Jurgen Klopp.

The teenager is an all-round midfield colossus who possesses a strong physique, technical brilliance and versatility, having been described as ‘fantastic’ by Jordan Henderson.

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At the age of 19, he already ranks in the top 5% among midfielders in Europe’s major leagues for assists, dribbles, touches in the opposition penalty area and progressive passes received, marking him out as someone who constantly seeks to get on the ball and make an impact in the final third.

Bellingham would not only be a long-term signing but also a key player straight away, ironically likely to take Henderson’s place in the team and forging great relationships with the likes of Fabinho, Thiago and Harvey Elliott. He must be Liverpool’s main transfer target at the end of the season.

Nottingham Forest remain 19th in the Premier League table after shipping their fourth consecutive defeat on Friday night, losing 3-2 to Fulham at the City Ground.

Steve Cooper will be disappointed that his team again could not hold onto a half-time lead, with the Tricky Trees conceding three goals in the second half to lose 3-2, just as they did against Bournemouth in their previous match.

Despite being at home, none of the main statistics were in Forest’s favour, with just 41% possession, an inferior passing completion rate (74% v 83%), fewer shots on target (3 v 7) and fewer dribbles completed (33% v 45%) than the visitors.

Taiwo Awoniyi opened the scoring when he found the net in the 11th minute to give Forest the lead, and although they managed to hold off any threat of an equaliser during the first 45 minutes, the Reds fell apart when they returned to action for the second half.

Fulham scored three times in the space of six minutes when Tosin Adarabioyo, Joao Palhinha and Harrison Reed all converted chances to put the visitors 3-1 up by the 6oth minute. Lewis O’Brien plundered a consolation goal in the 77th minute but it was too little, too late when all was said and done.

One player who was completely anonymous throughout his performance in front of the City Ground faithful last night was Swiss midfielder Remo Freuler, and Cooper will surely regret starting him in the middle of the park over O’Brien, who replaced his team-mate in the 70th minute and scored just seven minutes later.

The 30-year-old had fewer touches of the ball than Forest goalkeeper Dean Henderson (39 v 53), lost 100% of his aerial duels and conceded possession of the ball with every 3.9 touches, displaying a lack of direct involvement in the game despite being positioned in one of the most central roles on the pitch.

Freuler is currently the fifth-worst rated player in the Reds’ squad for 2022/23 with a SofaScore rating of 6.4 following his three league outings, with the Swiss midfielder clearly struggling to make his presence known.

With that being said, Cooper will now have more than two weeks to rebuild the confidence in his players thanks to the international break, when hopefully he can establish his best team moving forward and pick up some better results when they return to action next month.