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Daniel Farke’s Norwich City are interested in a summer move for Mehdi Zerkane.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by La Gazette du Fennec, who claimed that both the Canaries and Aston Villa are keeping a close eye on the Bordeaux winger ahead of the summer transfer window.

The report added that, while the 21-year-old would like to stay in Ligue 1 for a further year to continue his development, Les Girondins could be tempted into parting with the £1.8m-rated youngster if a significant offer is made due to their troublesome financial state.

Mahrez 2.0

With Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber having an extraordinary amount of success in recent seasons with signing lesser-known and under-appreciated talents, such as Emi Buendia’s £1.35m signing from Getafe and Teemu Pukki’s arrival from Brondby on a free transfer, Zerkane could well fit the bill for the sporting director once again this summer.

The winger, who is a product of the youth setup at AS Monaco, has yet to truly burst onto the scene at Bordeaux, having featured just 27 times for the Ligue 1 side, scoring one goal and registering one assist. However, it seems that a number of clubs believe the 21-year-old possesses a considerable amount of talent, with Marseille, Lyon, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid all attempting to sign Zerkane upon his departure from Monaco.

Indeed, there are obvious comparisons which can be drawn between Zerkane and Riyad Mahrez, with both players being left-footed right-wingers who like to cut inside, both being Algeria internationals and both starting their footballing careers in France.

As such, with Bordeaux reportedly open to offers for the highly-rated youngster this summer, it would seem a highly advisable move for Webber to pursue a deal for the 21-year-old. If he goes on to fulfil the potential that a number of Europe’s biggest clubs clearly believe he possesses, Norwich could indeed have the next Mahrez on their hands ahead of next season.

In other news: Forget Skipp: Webber must seal Norwich deal for “fantastic” £6.3m-rated star – opinion

Liverpool are back in action at Anfield once again this afternoon with a Premier League clash against Southampton, after beating Arsenal 4-0 in their previous league game followed by their 2-0 victory over FC Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday, both of which were also on home turf.

With Klopp making four changes from the Gunners match for the European fixture against Porto, it will be intriguing to see how many alterations he makes today.

On the chalkboard

One player who didn’t start in midweek but should be in the starting XI to face the Saints this afternoon is Andy Robertson.

Kostas Tsimikas failed to make even one tackle in midweek and won just one of his six duels, as well as losing possession 15 times and completing just one of his six crosses before being replaced by the Scottish left-back in the second half. That could perhaps sway Klopp into starting the 27-year-old ahead of the Greece international today.

Since joining the Merseyside club back in the 2017 summer transfer window from Hull City in a deal worth a reported fee of £10m, Robertson – who has been labelled an “inspirational” player by compatriot Darren Fletcher – has made 190 appearances for the Reds across all competitions.

Along with cementing himself as a crucial figure for Liverpool, the 27-year-old, who is currently earning £50k-per-week according to Spotrac, has also proved himself as a deadly attacking force for the Reds by scoring five goals and providing 39 assists along the way.

With this in mind, even though he’s only provided two assists so far this season for Liverpool across all competitions, he could be a real danger to the Saints today as an attacking outlet for the likes of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, if he is preferred to Tsimikas.

Considering how Southampton have only conceded three goals more than Liverpool in the league and with Klopp saying that his team will need to be “creative” to break Hasenhuttl’s side down, this could also work in Robertson’s favour in terms of team selection.

Taking all of this into account, if the Reds boss plays the Scot today and he manages to put in an impressive performance, he definitely has what it takes to keep his place in the team moving forward.

Also, with Robertson having yet to register a goal or assist in nine previous games against Southampton, he will definitely want to get off the mark in this regard from an individual point of view.

In other news: Matip 2.0: Edwards must seal Liverpool move for £22.5m-rated tank who “has everything”

At the age of 35, Liverpool midfielder James Milner is currently the seventh-oldest current Premier League player, with an astonishing 568 league appearances under his belt in what has been an impressive career in English football.

Taking that into account, and with his current contract at Anfield set to expire next summer, it’s not out of the question that the Merseyside club could be looking to replace the veteran if he ends up leaving then.

Rather than potentially splashing out a significant transfer fee on a new player from another club to replace Milner if he were to leave, we feel that Liverpool could already have their perfect heir for him within their youth squad in James Norris.

The 18-year-old, who is a product of Liverpool’s youth academy, is predominantly a left-back, a position where Milner has made 66 appearances throughout his career. He has also played as a central midfielder, centre-back and left-midfielder on two occasions for England’s under-19 side this season, showing her versatility at such a young age, just as Milner has done throughout his long career.

According to Liverpool’s official website, Norris is an “energetic left-back who can also play in midfield”, has “a great work ethic matched with a sweet left foot” and “loves to get forward and support the attack”.

Throughout his short career so far, he has made 35 appearances for Liverpool’s under-18 side, with five goals and five assists to his name, as well as making 13 appearances for the under-23 side, scoring one goal and providing one assist in the process.

Norris made his senior debut for the Reds during Liverpool’s 5-0 defeat against Aston Villa in the Carabao Cup back in December 2019.

Looking ahead to the future, if he can keep developing within Liverpool’s youth teams for the time being and adapting to different positions as he has been doing, he could well go on to become a very useful figure for Liverpool in their senior squad in the foreseeable future given his versatility, especially if Milner leaves the club when his contract runs out next year.

In other news – Forget Keita: Klopp must unleash £120k-p/w LFC outcast on Sunday, he impressed v Atletico

West Ham United have been dealt a potentially huge blow in their bid to bring Jesse Lingard to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed in a recent post on The West Ham Way that, despite having featured sparingly for Manchester United so far this season, the 29-year-old attacking midfielder – who has been heavily linked with a move to East London – would like to remain at Old Trafford until the end of the season, when his current contract expires.

In his post, the insider unveiled a big twist:

Moyes will be furious

Considering just how impressive Lingard was after joining West Ham on a four-month loan deal last season, in addition to the fact that the Hammers attempted to sign the forward in the summer transfer window, the news that the England international looks increasingly unlikely to leave Manchester United this winter is sure to have left David Moyes furious.

Indeed, over his 16 Premier League appearances for West Ham last time out, the £19.8m-rated man scored nine goals, registered five assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.6 shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £75k-per-week attacking midfielder earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.19, ranking him as the Hammers’ best performer in the top flight of English football last time out.

However, despite his remarkable form at the London Stadium, Lingard has once again found his game time limited at Manchester United, featuring in just eight Premier League fixtures so far this season.

As such, the 29-year-old’s apparent decision to wait until the end of the season before making a decision on his future is a rather baffling one, as continuing to sit on the bench at Old Trafford will do nothing towards helping the forward secure a spot in Gareth Southgate World Cup squad for Qatar 2022.

However, with it appearing as if a move for Lingard is now off the table this January, Moyes has been left with no other option than to turn his focus in the transfer market elsewhere, an outcome that will undoubtedly be incredibly frustrating for the 58-year-old manager.

In other news: West Ham handed huge injury boost ahead of Tottenham clash that’ll have Moyes buzzing

Leeds United have been handed a major injury boost ahead of their Premier League clash against Fulham on Friday night, with news that Patrick Bamford is likely to be fit.

The striker was forced off in Marcelo Bielsa’s side’s last game against Chelsea at Elland Road, and there no doubt would have been some serious concern about whether he would be fit to face the Cottagers.

Bamford has played an integral role in Leeds’ impressive return to the Premier League this season, bagging 13 goals and providing a further six assists in the top-flight alone – in fact, he’s played the full 90 minutes in all but six of the Whites’ games this campaign in the league, and has started every single one.

Ahead of the game tonight, The Athletic’s Phil Hay delivered a crucial update on Bamford’s fitness, saying that the forward looks like he should be available, and that despite a knock to his hip, stands a “good chance of recovering”.

The £16.2m-rated man has earned some rave reviews this season for his performances, not least from former Premier League ace Gabriel Agbonlahor, who lauded his display against Leicester just last month.

He said: “What’s surprised me is how good his finishing is. He’s never going to get that ball and dribble past players but what he does have is a great finish on him.

“He showed with his goal at the weekend how clinical he can be. His link-up play as well. Yes, I’ve been surprised but credit to him.”

Bamford’s availability for tonight will come as a major relief for Bielsa, and will have the Leeds boss absolutely buzzing that he can continue to rely upon on his main man up top.

Meanwhile, Leeds must start this “rock” tonight…

Tottenham Hotspur have many promising midfielders coming through the system.

In the summer, chairman Daniel Levy bolstered their academy options by raiding financially-struggling Wigan Athletic for young prospect Alfie Devine.

The 16-year-old was called up to the first-team earlier in the campaign and even scored on his senior debut against non-league outfit Marine in the FA Cup third round.

He has also been named on the bench for two Premier League fixtures, the latest of which coming last weekend at Aston Villa. He’s certainly one that’s earmarked for the future.

But Devine isn’t the only one.

Jose Mourinho often included some of their U23 stars in the Europa League squad. For example, ahead of their second leg knockout clash with Wolfsberger AC, no fewer than six youngsters were called up.

One of which was Jamie Bowden, who has been at Spurs since he was just six. And whilst he didn’t come off the bench to feature that day, he could soon be the next to follow in Devine’s footsteps.

According to football.london, the 19-year-old is really well thought of in north London as he’s ‘extremely composed on the ball, capable of breaking up play and has a great range of passing in his locker.’

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This is something reflected by the club’s official website, who describe the midfielder as a ‘deep-lying’ playmaker with a great range of passing.

Bowden has come on leaps and bounds this month for the U23s, scoring twice from defensive midfield in their last three Premier League 2 outings. He’s even captained the side on two occasions in that spell, as per Transfermarkt, too.

Spurs could well be onto their next Jamie Redknapp – that’s not because they share the same first name; there are far too many similarities between the two.

The former midfielder turned Sky Sports pundit was renowned for a couple of things – an ability to control the tempo of a match from a deeper role, deadly set-piece deliveries and of course, an unfortunate injury record.

These are all hallmarks of Bowden’s game.

Earlier this season, football.london claimed the teenager’s progress had been blighted by injury this season but still boasts plenty of talent. Whilst one of those two goals came from the spot, further adding to that set-piece skillset.

There have even been previous comparisons made to Michael Carrick and Harry Winks, who too are cut from the same sort of cloth as Redknapp.

The “talented young player” could well become a future star at Spurs should Mourinho continue to give him exposure to the first-team set-up, and in doing so, they may well have their next Redknapp.

AND in other news, Spurs dealt “significant” injury blow…

West Ham United have been able to reach the semi-finals of the Europa League and seventh place in the Premier League table with just one figure in their squad that predominantly plays in the centre-forward position – Michail Antonio.

Despite scoring eight goals in 32 league appearances for the Hammers, the Jamaican hasn’t been able to find the net in the top flight since New Year’s Day against Crystal Palace.

With the next summer transfer window approaching, it seems as though the east London club are in the mix to add another striker to their squad and provide a bit of competition for Antonio.

What’s the news?

According to a recent article from Calciomercato, West Ham are one of the clubs interested in signing Torino striker Andrea Belotti in the upcoming summer transfer window.

With a total of 386 senior and youth club appearances under his belt, the Italian has scored 155 goals and provided 35 assists along the way, showing that he has a knack for finding the back of the net.

Better than Antonio?

Since joining his current club back in 2015, the 28-year-old has scored 110 goals in 247 outings for the Serie A side, showing just how important he has been for them over the past few years.

On the international stage, Belotti has scored 12 goals in 42 senior appearances for Italy.

This backs up what his former teammate and former West Ham goalkeeper Joe Hart had to say about him when the Englishman described the attacker as having an “instinct for goals.”

With just 18 league games to his name in this current Serie A season, the striker has still managed to rack up the second-highest number of shots at goal (45) out of anyone at Torino.

To compare him to the West Ham striker, the Italian has racked up a higher percentage of aerial duels won this season (39.7%) than Antonio (36.2%).

This shows how much of a threat in the air he can be in terms of winning balls and scoring goals with his head. Battling physically for the ball is one of the West Ham striker’s main strengths so if Belotti can top him in that department, it bodes well for the Hammers.

Despite having a current market value of £25.2m according to Transfermarkt, the Irons could secure the Italy international on a free transfer this summer as his current contract with Torino is set to expire at the end of the season.

Even though he’s struggled with some injury issues this season, Belotti certainly has what it takes to be a solid signing for West Ham. The major plus side is that West Ham could discover someone that’s better than Antonio when it comes to scoring goals on a regular basis.

In other news: Sources: West Ham eye swoop for “brilliant” 21 y/o, he’s “similar to Eden Hazard”

As Leeds United continue to browse the transfer market this month, they find themselves linked to left-back Jordan Amavi.

According to French outlet Foot01, the Whites are amongst those interested in the £9million-valued Marseille star, who is now available for pre-contract negotiations. Amavi looks set to leave the Ligue 1 outfit and Leeds were reported to be very much in the race for his signature.

However, a recent Phil Hay update could hint that a deal is off for the out of favour 26-year-old. The Athletic reporter tweeted that the Whites are in talks with Egzjan Alioski over new terms on his current £55,000 per week contract.

With both the Macedonian and Leif Davis on the books, it could now mean that Victor Orta and co are making a U-turn on their reported interest in Amavi. If Alioski signs a new deal, he may well continue to be Marcelo Bielsa’s first choice left-back, with 21-year-old Davis still to fully break into the first team squad.

According to Transfermarkt, Alioski has contributed two goals and six clean sheets in his 17 Premier League appearances so far this season. Leeds have hit a dip recently but their 2-1 win over Newcastle sees them return to positive form in their returning top flight campaign.

Transfer target Amavi has made just nine Ligue 1 appearances for Marseille this season, due to a red card suspension and recent injury. He is currently suffering a torn muscle injury and has missed ten matches across all competitions because of it, according to Transfermarkt.

Whilst Leeds looked to be a potential destination for Amavi, there may not be any room for him at the inn if the Whites keep hold of Alioski. Despite the attraction of not having to pay a transfer fee, having three left-backs all fighting for the same spot would be an unnecessary headache Bielsa does not need to have.

In other news, Bielsa made huge mistake rushing Diego Llorente back…

West Brom winger Matheus Pereira would be an ideal summer signing for Leeds United, according to former Whites striker Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: Pereira shines for relegated Baggies

The Baggies may have been relegated from the Premier League this season, but Pereira has been a shining light for Sam Allardyce’s team. The 25-year-old has scored 10 goals and registered six assists, which is an excellent return considering West Brom’s struggles throughout the campaign.

He has previously been described as ‘unbelievable’ by team-mate Matt Phillips, often standing out as a star player at The Hawthorns.

The Latest: Leeds told to sign the Brazilian

Leeds have been linked with a move for Pereira in the summer transfer window, with the Brazilian highly unlikely to be playing Championship football in 2021/22.

Whelan believes the 25-year-old would be a great signing at Elland Road, telling Football Insider that his former club should make a move for him:

“It is a mouth-watering prospect. We missed out on certain players last season, and this is a player that excites everybody. I would definitely take him all day long.

“He’s a fantastic player, he’s great on the ball, he can turn people inside out. Pereira’s another option we can use right across that front three and maybe in a number 10 role as well.

“He’s the right age and he’s the sort of player we should be looking at. Imagine, if you put him alongside Raphinha, Rodrigo, Harrison etc, that’s pretty formidable.”

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The Verdict: Could be an excellent addition

Pereira could be a shrewd addition at Elland Road ahead of next season as Marcelo Bielsa looks to add quality and depth to his squad. The winger’s goal and assists return this season speaks for itself, proving that his game possesses plenty of substance and isn’t just about a few eye-catching tricks.

He is both technically gifted and hard-working – he averages 0.8 tackles and 0.9 interceptions per game in the league this season – which should appeal to the demanding Bielsa, and he shouldn’t yet be in the peak years of his career.

Whelan is right to advocate Pereira as a recommended signing for Leeds.

In other news, a Leeds player has been linked with a summer exit, despite plenty of appearances this season. Find out who it is here.

Everton are reportedly fighting Liverpool to sign Gleison Bremer once the summer transfer window opens.

The Lowdown: Holgate may leave

The Goodison Park faithful are reportedly willing to listen to any offers for Mason Holgate in the summer, as they look to try and fund a move for a top central defender.

The Englishman has disappointed with some of his recent displays, making costly errors against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, and so his future at the Merseyside club is unclear.

The Latest: Everton fight Liverpool for Bremer

As per Torino Granata, the Toffees as well as Liverpool have been following Bremer, who has been named as a potential outgoing for Torino.

Given the long-term injuries to both Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez that the Reds have suffered this season, it is no surprise to see them also linked with bringing in a centre-back.

The Verdict: Everton can get one over on Liverpool

The Blues can certainly get one over their local rivals by beating them to the signature of Bremer.

At six-foot-two, the Brazilian is a colossus and so would give EFC an advantage in both boxes, notably scoring as many as four goals from the heart of defence in 32 games in total in the Serie A so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt).

At the back, Bremer has won no fewer than 5.2 duels per match in the Italian top flight, and has also averaged 4.1 clearances, 2.1 interceptions and 1.5 tackles a game, keeping eight clean sheets in the process (Sofascore).

Nonetheless, if Holgate were to go, the 24-year-old would be a more than adequate replacement.

In other news, find out what European Super League update has got Toffees talking here!