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Man City among the clubs ‘lining up’ to sign Borussia Dortmund star Jude Bellingham and the Premier League champions have been told his price tag.

The Lowdown: City linked…

Pep Guardiola’s team are one of the many elite sides to have been linked with a move for the 19-year-old in recent months, alongside the likes of Liverpool and Real Madrid.

Reports have suggested that City are in contention for the England international’s signature, coming as club captain Ilkay Gundogan’s future remains up in the air.

The German’s contract at Eastlands expires at the end of this season, potentially making sporting director Txiki Begiristain contemplate his successor.

The Latest: City given Bellingham price tag…

As shared by reliable journalist David Ornstein on Twitter, City are indeed ‘lining up’ for Bellingham as well as a queue of other suitors.

The Blues have also been told what it will take to land him with Dortmund setting a marquee price tag of around £132 million.

Writing in a piece for The Athletic, Ornstein and colleagues hint that City could see Bellingham as a replacement for Gundogan given the latter player may leave for free this year.

The Verdict: Perfect player…

Gundogan was Guardiola’s first ever signing at the Etihad and he has gone on to become a faithful servant, endearing himself to supporters with a real on-pitch leadership and crucial moments in big games.

However, if City are to say goodbye to him in 2023, Bellingham could be viewed as the perfect like-for-like successor.

The midfield ‘monster’, as dubbed by members of the press, has been a shining light for Dortmund yet again this season – standing out as their best player by some distance.

Bellingham ranks as their best-performer overall by average match rating, as per WhoScored, all while completing more successful take-ons and attempting a higher number of shots per 90 than any Dortmund player.

The all-round gem also has more tackles per game to his name than any other member of Dortmund’s squad (WhoScored) – further exemplifying his sheer quality.

Unai Emery’s Aston Villa side return to action in the Premier League in the lunchtime kick-off today as they attempt to avoid three straight defeats.

After losing to Leicester and Manchester City in their last two outings, the Villans host Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, who will go top for a few hours at least if they avoid defeat in the Midlands today.

Both teams were beaten 3-1 by Pep Guardiola’s men in their respective last matches in the top flight, and Emery will surely be hoping for a strong response from his players against an Arsenal team who have stuttered of late.

The Spanish head coach may alter his starting XI in an attempt to rejuvenate his team for this clash against his former club, and one player who should be unleashed from the start is Philippe Coutinho.

Will Philippe Coutinho start against Arsenal?

After his impressive cameo off the bench last time out, the £125k-p/w attacking midfielder must be named in the Villa starting XI to take on Arsenal this afternoon.

Against Manchester City, the 30-year-old came on as a substitute and recorded a Sofascore rating of 7.4 by completing two dribbles and winning four of his six individual duels, whilst also registering one shot on target.

Emi Buendia, who started that match, lost 100% of his battles and failed to produce a single shot in his 60 minutes on the pitch (as per Sofascore), and the Argentine gem should now be replaced by his Brazilian team-mate, who could get the best out of Ollie Watkins.

The Villa centre-forward has scored three goals in his last three appearances and has racked up four goals and one assist in seven league matches since the World Cup break.

Coutinho, who ex-Liverpool player Phil Thompson dubbed a “creative genius”, has not scored or set up a single goal in the Premier League this season in six starts, but his flash of quality against City suggests that the spark which he showed last term could be coming back to him.

At his best, the wizard has the quality to put opportunities on a plate for Watkins to continue his excellent streak in front of goal, and the pair could make for an exciting duo against the Gunners.

In 2021/22, the Brazil international averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.09 across 19 appearances and chipped in with five goals and three assists from midfield, whilst creating five ‘big chances’ and providing 1.3 key passes per game for his team-mates.

The ex-Barcelona gem, whose touch was once described as “magical” by journalist John Townley, has 184 career goals and assists combined at club level, along with 21 goals for his country, and is vastly experienced at being a difference-maker at the top level.

Emery must now unleash Coutinho alongside Watkins from the start against Arsenal today and hope that the Champions League winner can provide some moments of magic to tee up the England international to continue his hot streak.

Aston Villa have recently been linked with a move for precocious young centre-back Illya Zabarnyi, who has received interest from some of Europe’s top outfits of the past months.

According to The Sun (Saturday, 16:14), Villa are indeed considering a late swoop for the starlet before the conclusion of the January transfer window tomorrow night, competing for his signature among other prominent Premier League names such as Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

With the opportunity for a regular starting berth more likely to come swiftly at Villa Park, the Ukrainian ace could make his way to the English Midlands.

And with the inclusion of the £13m-rated titan, Villa Park could find the nucleus of their backline for many years to come, a player whose calibre aligns with the four-time Europa League winner Emery’s own aspirations.

Imagine him & Diego Carlos

Landing a talented prospect of Zabarnyi’s class encapsulates a marked improvement in transfer dealings in swift time since the introduction of Emery, with the £18m signing of exciting teenage winger Jhon Duran also bolstering the ranks for years to come.

For a player so young, the 20-year-old Zabarnyi is certainly making all the right moves to pave a successful future for himself, with scout Jacek Kulig once lauding the “dominant” qualities he already has at his disposal.

And having made 84 appearances for his homeland outfit already, the 6 foot 2 gem has successfully risen through the club’s youth ranks and cemented his invaluable stature despite his tender age, now perhaps ready to take the next step in his development and flourish among some of the game’s very best in the Premier League.

Ever since his formative years, Zabarnyi has been a player “a lot of potential”, as once lauded by Kiev club president Ihor Surkis, and having made 24 appearances for his nation already, including a starring role at EURO 2020, the sky certainly is the limit for this prodigious young talent.

Kulig once claimed that he’d be an “amazing signing” for a club in the top five leagues, and with the growing adulation for the young pro, it is clear that he will have an illustrious career, possibly blossoming into one of the leading defenders across the European scene.

Should he choose to make Villa Park his stomping ground, Zabarnyi could find a perfect partnership with distinguished Villan Diego Carlos, who joined the English side for a reported £26m last summer.

Bitterly, the Brazilian phenom ruptured his achilles tendon in just his second outing for his new club and is yet to make a return to the pitch, but with a successful stint in Spain with Sevilla, winning the 2019/20 Europa League, his reintroduction to the fold will be a huge boost to a resurgent outfit.

The 29-year-old was a consistent performer in La Liga, enjoying his most productive season last year, recording an average rating of 7.09 – as per Sofascore, where his tenacity, assurance and physicality proved invaluable for Sevilla, indeed completing an impressive 88% of his passes and sweeping danger aside with 3.5 clearances each occasion.

With Carlos indeed stricken with injury this season, the Claret & Blue faithful have been offered but a glimpse of the capabilities the behemoth can offer, but with the dynamism of Zabarnyi entwining with Carlos’ robust approach, experience and youthful vigour could merge excellently to unleash a formidable partnership that could indeed form the bedrock of Villa’s ascension under the tutelage of their sagely Spaniard boss.

Indeed, with that in mind, he could well be an amazing late acquisition for Johan Lange and co.

Aston Villa only recently secured the signing of Chicago Fire teenager, Jhon Duran, although it would appear that manager Unai Emery is keen to add yet another centre-forward addition this month, with it yet to be seen just what impact the 19-year-old will be able to make in the remainder of the campaign.

That desire for a new goal threat has also been enhanced by the sale of Danny Ings to West Ham United on a £15m deal, with the Englishman having been the club’s leading scorer this season prior to that exit.

With it seemingly unthinkable to be left with Ollie Watkins – who has just four Premier League goals to his name this term – as the sole senior option to lead the line, a new striker could well arrive at Villa Park before deadline day.

That is the verdict of journalist Ryan Taylor, with the transfer insider telling GIVEMESPORT that securing further firepower is a real “priority” for the Villans between now and the end of the window.

The respect source stated: “I think the striker, that is the absolute priority at the moment. I think Villa have risked it a little bit in letting Ings go.

“That tells me that they’re going to have to be hell-bent on bringing in a replacement because otherwise, they’ve left themselves short for the sake of £15 million, which is nothing really.”

The Midlands outfit could well have already identified an ideal solution to that striking problem in the form of Lyon’s Moussa Dembele, with recent reports suggesting that the club have made an approach to sign the Frenchman.

The belief is that the former Celtic man could be available for as little as £3m with only six months remaining on his existing deal with the Ligue 1 outfit, with the 26-year-old looking destined for pastures new – be it this month or come the summer window.

To be able to secure such a reliable, “scoring machine” – as described by journalist Bertrand Latour – on the cheap would represent a real coup for Emery and co, with the one-time Fulham ace having scored 69 goals in just 160 games for his current side.

Although the £70k-per-week maestro only boasts a haul of two league goals in the current campaign, he had previously netted 22 times in 36 games in all competitions last season.

A player who clearly knows where the goal is, Dembele notably made his name as a result of his stunning displays during his time in Glasgow, having bagged 51 goals in only 94 games for the Hoops in total.

Such ruthlessness in front of goal is also laid bare by the fact that the 6 foot sensation ranks in the top 6% in Europe among those in his position for non-penalty goals, with Watkins – for example – ranking in just the bottom 33% in that regard.

That evidence would appear to suggest that Dembele is the striking solution that Villa are currently crying out for, with it seemingly a no-brainer to bring him to the club in the coming days.

Journalist Charles Watts has suggested that Arsenal could get long-term transfer target Youri Tielemans for cheap if they chase him this January.

What’s the latest?

With the winter window now open, the Gunners may well be quite busy over the coming weeks. Indeed, they are expected to push hard for Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhailo Mudryk having already made one bid for the Ukrainian.
However, it seems as though they could be in the market for a new midfielder too. Indeed, Arsenal were linked with the Leicester City midfielder in the summer and with his contract set to expire in six months, he could be available to pick up at a cut price in January.
While speaking on YouTube after the game, Watts said that this transfer saga may ‘rumble on’ this month if the Gunners do decide to try and chase the Belgian.

He explained: “Will they make a move for long-term target Youri Tielemans? That’s one that might well rumble on during the January window.

“Six months left on his contract potentially could get him for a pretty decent fee if Leicester decide to sell or to see if Arsenal do sort of rekindle their interest in him.”

Midfielder needed?

Seeing as Arsenal have found themselves leading the pack after 16 games in the Premier League so far this season, Mikel Arteta may well be desperate to do all he can to maintain this unexpected title challenge.
And so while they may have been keen to wait until the summer to sign a new midfielder if Tielemans can come in right away and make an immediate impact, it might make more sense to push for him now – especially with his potentially available at a pretty reasonable price due to his expiring contract.
When you look at Tielemans and Granit Xhaka side by side, there really isn’t much difference. They have a passing accuracy percentage of 83.1 and 84.6 respectively, as well as both netting three goals. However, Tielemans has 26 more tackles and 250 more touches (FBref).
Of course, the Gunners did bid for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz in the summer and so they clearly want to add more depth to that part of the field – though he has now signed a new contract with the Villans.
Taking that into account, it certainly wouldn’t be a shock if they looked for an alternative such as Tielemans this winter.

Everton remain top of the pile for signing Boulaye Dia but now face Premier League competition…

What’s the latest?

That’s according to Tutto Salernitana, who claim that Kevin Thelwell will continue to rival West Ham United for the Senegalese striker.

With the 26-year-old currently on loan at the Italian side, they plan to exercise their €12m (£10.4m) option to buy clause with plans to “fix the price” for his summer exit.

Therefore, it seems the enthusiasm from the English clubs will have to wait until the conclusion of this season. Having contacted his entourage, both teams are aware of this plan.

It is expected they will demand €17m (£15m) for his signature.

“Exciting” signing

Although it may be one for the future, this remains a signing that Evertonians can get excited about.

With Dominic Calvert-Lewin continuing to suffer from injuries, and Neal Maupay having scored just once since his summer move, obtaining a striker is a move of the utmost importance for Frank Lampard.

Especially given how his side in total has scored just 11 times in 15 games.

Having become somewhat reliant on the one-season exploits of their Sheffield-born frontman, it seems up front has become a position somewhat neglected.

Calvert-Lewin had scored 16 goals during the 2020/21 campaign but has featured just 23 times across the season and a half following.

Dia alone already has six goals this season for his side, as well as assisting a further two. His entry to Goodison Park would mark an instant upgrade on the current crop of toothless attackers that have frustrated fans thus far this season.

He seems set to glide past last season’s tally of seven goals and six assists, which included a strike against Liverpool in their Champions League semi-final collapse.

What has further marked a sensational season for the on-loan Villarreal marksman is his World Cup goal, which will likely have seen his value rocket even further.

Transfer insider and journalist Dean Jones had expected him to “be a breakout” from the competition in Qatar, also labelling him “exciting” and “confident”.

This move could be worth the wait for Lampard and Thelwell, but they will be wary of going the rest of the season without a reliable goal scorer.

Former Glasgow Rangers defender and BBC Radio 5 Live pundit Alan Hutton has claimed that the English Premier League is a ‘massive draw’ for Jack Wylie.

The Lowdown: Wylie attracting interest

As per Football Insider, the Ibrox outfit are ‘pulling out all the stops’ to try and keep Wylie, who has ‘caught the eye’ of scouts from some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League.

He is not eligible to sign professional forms with the Gers until he turns 16 in January, raising concerns that he could be lured away.

They do not want to lose another of their young stars to the English top-flight, having lost Billy Gilmour to Chelsea and Rory Wilson to Aston Villa in recent years respectively,

The Light Blues are ‘rolling out the red carpet’ to try and convince Wylie that it is best to continue his development at the club, but Manchester United, Arsenal and Leeds United are all thought to be interested in his signature.

The Latest: Premier League ‘massive draw’

Speaking to Football Insider, Hutton has claimed that the Premier League will be a ‘massive draw’ for Wylie, and admitted that it will be ‘difficult’ to keep hold of him:

“Of course it will be difficult. We have seen it in the past with other players that have moved down south at an early age. Rangers will be desperate to tie him down to a long-term deal.

“It is not for the first team at this moment in time but the potential is there to reach that level.

“The draw of going to one of the top leagues, playing with some of the best managers and players around, you feel that that could possibly be the helping hand you need to progress in your career.

“I hope that he signs with Rangers because the potential is there. He has a better chance of breaking into the first team there than going to Man United and things but the draw is massive. It is going to come down to where he sees his future.“

The Verdict: Good as gone

Unfortunately for Teddy Bears supporters, Wylie looks as good as gone with the Premier League interest lurking in the background.

Gilmour and Wilson have followed the same path to the English top flight at a young age, while a more senior player in Joe Aribo was persuaded by a move to Southampton in the summer transfer window.

Hailed as a ‘top talent’ and a ‘wonderkid’ by transfer expert and Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano, Wylie has a big future ahead of him at just 15 years of age, but it will be hard for Rangers to persuade him to stay put when a move to the Premier League beckons.

The first ever winter World Cup out in Qatar has now kicked off and football fans across the globe will have already indulged in a good few hours of television watching given the games that have already taken place and there have already been some absolutely cracking goals scored despite all the obvious concerns that people had when it came to how players would adjust and cope with the heat.

With plenty of media build up in the last few weeks ahead of the World Cup kicking off, Betway Insider took quite a novel approach in an effort to answer the question – who is the greatest player of all time?

Having compiled a list of five well known, and hugely successful potential G.O.A.T’s in the shape of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Diego Maradona, and Pele, Betway then gathered a team of real goats (Billy, Jerry, Benny, Jacob and Betty) to take on the aforementioned five to pick their true G.O.A.T.

You can do your own puns on this one!

Although things have not gone quite to plan for Ronaldo since he returned to Old Trafford and Manchester United for a second time, he is now a free agent having agreed to mutually terminate his contract with the Red Devil’s after his now infamous Piers Morgan interview, but there will be few who do not agree that his greatest World Cup moment came against Spain way back in 2018.

“His versatility on the pitch, goalscoring prowess and cheetah-like speed on the ball undoubtedly place Ronaldo among the best players ever. His hat-trick against Spain in 2018 is undeniably one of the greatest World Cup performances off all time, as he scored a flawless free-kick in the 88th minute to earn a point in a 3-3 draw and become the oldest player to ever score a World Cup treble.”

With the other players on the list, fans will undoubtedly be torn on whether or not that performance makes it to the top of the list of greatest ever World Cup performance and moment from an individual player, or whether or not Ronaldo is the true G.O.A.T of our beautiful game, but on a performance front, all the other players shortlisted have valid claims of their own.

Betway pick out Messi’s performance back in Brazil 2014. Potentially the greatest dribbler that has ever taken to a football pitch, Messi finished that competition as Argentina’s top scorer, he was also named the best player of the tournament and lifted the Golden Ball award.

Fans who do not really follow European football probably best remember Zidane for his more head strong moments in major competitions, but he was far much more than that, as admirably proven in the 1998 World Cup final. Two headers against Brazil helping France to lift their first ever World Cup deserves its place in the history books.

Maradona’s controversies speak for themselves but sadly his performance at the 1986 World Cup has to feature. Five goals and five assists (including one goal that never should have counted), also saw one sublime moment as he scored his second in the Quarter Final tie with England.

Pele’s talents truly speak for themselves, and having lifted more World Cups than any other player, he more than deserves his place on the list. His greatest moment, arguably as a fresh faced 17 year old, as he announced himself on the world stage becoming the youngest scorer in World Cup history is hard to top. He finished the 1958 final against Sweden with one of the greatest goals ever as they again lifted the trophy.

Photo by Unsplash

Arsenal would be ‘willing to pay’ £56m to sign Shakhtar Donetsk forward Mykhaylo Mudryk in January, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Mudryk wants to join

Premier League side Newcastle, with Sevilla, Ajax and Bayer Leverkusen, have all been credited with an interest in the 21-year-old, creating competition for the Gunners who are believed to have recently held talks.

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Igor Jovicevic’s side have now increased their asking price from €40-45m (£34-39m) to €60-65m (£52-56m), though this isn’t said to have put Edu off his target.

CBS’ Ben Jacobs also claimed that the winger told him that he ‘couldn’t say no’ to moving to the Emirates should he be given the opportunity.

The Latest: Jones’ comments

Asked by GiveMeSport whether Arsenal would be happy to pay the required fee to land Mudryk given how much financial demands are constantly increasing in football, Jones said:

“I think they would, yeah. And I think they know that they’ve got to.

“So, we think €65 million (£56m) is traditionally a lot of money in football, but it’s actually becoming a reasonable figure in the transfer market for the players with a high ceiling. And I think that that is an amount that Arsenal will be willing to pay.”

The Verdict: No-brainer

Mudryk has been dubbed the ‘Ukrainian Neymar’ by Jacek Kulig, and Mikel Arteta bringing him to England is a no-brainer given his impressive record in the final third.

The 5 foot 7 dynamo has registered 16 assists and scored ten goals in 41 appearances for Shakhtar, and is a versatile individual with the ability to operate in midfield as well as on both flanks (Transfermarkt).

Emile Smith-Rowe being sidelined with a long-term injury has highlighted Arsenal’s lack of options out wide so Mudryk would be a fantastic addition in the capital.

Leeds United winger Luis Sinisterra may find it hard to break back into Jesse Marsch’s side due to the form of Crysencio Summerville, according to Football Insider’s Kevin Campbell.

The Lowdown: Injury update

Summerville came in for his second start of the Premier League season against Liverpool on Saturday and netted a dramatic late winner to take the Whites out of the relegation zone. The youngster replaced Sinisterra in the starting XI, with the Colombian missing out due to injury.

Marsch admitted after the win against Liverpool that the latter should return to full training this week ahead of the meeting with Bournemouth, but Campbell thinks that the summer signing may not feature from the off against the Cherries.

The Latest: Campbell’s comments

Asked by Football Insider if Sinisterra may find it hard to break back into the Whites’ team following the injury update and Summerville’s display at Anfield, Campbell – who contributes for Sky Sports – said:

“I really liked the look of him [Summerville]. He is non-stop and he is a handful. We saw that against Liverpool.

“I think Sinisterra is going to struggle to get back in on the evidence of that. It would only be right if he struggles to get back in.

“If someone is doing the business, no matter what their age, leave them alone. Let them get on with it, that is what I say.”

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The Verdict: Selection headache

Providing that Sinisterra is fully fit for the Elland Road clash on Saturday, Marsch will have a big decision to make in the final third.

The Colombian was a marquee summer signing and has shown flashes of brilliance with goals against Everton and Brentford, but Summerville also now has two goals to his name in the top flight.

You’d expect that the Dutch youngster will be feeling at the top of his game after his match-winner at Anfield, so Marsch may decide to stick with him and look to use Sinisterra as an impact sub. The team sheet on Saturday will be interesting…