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According to a report by AS, translated and relayed by Sport Witness, an update has emerged on the future of Atletico Madrid defender Kieran Trippier and it involves Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Magpies keen…

As per numerous sources, the Magpies have been heavily linked with a move for the England international recently as the January transfer window fast approaches.

Mundo Deportivo reported (via Sport Witness) that PIF and Eddie Howe are willing to table an eight-figure bid of €30m (£25.3m) to get a deal done next month. Meanwhile, reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Trippier is indeed a target for the Tyneside club.

Sharing the latest, AS (via Sport Witness) have come out with an intriguing update.

The Latest: Trippier handling Newcastle offer…

According to their information, Trippier is handling an ‘important offer’ from the Magpies, prompting Atletico to sweat over his future and meet with the player to express his importance to the La Liga champions.

After the summit, Diego Simeone’s side now hope that the 31-year-old will be focused on the task at hand and ‘forget about’ offers from England.

The Verdict: Crunch time?

These next few weeks of the looming transfer window could prove crucial to Newcastle’s Premier League survival, and it’s safe to say that Trippier’s signing would boost Howe in this regard.

Described as a ‘world class’ right-back by former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell (Football Insider), the 31-year-old has a wealth of experience on the biggest stages in football at both international and club level.

Part of the Three Lions’ 2018 World Cup semi-final squad, he has also won a La Liga title with Atletico and has featured three times in the Champions League this season. Players of this calibre could be needed at St James’ Park if Howe is to maintain Newcastle’s Premier League status.

In other news: Newcastle now willing to table eight-figure bid to sign ‘sensational’ ace for Howe, he wants to move…find out more here.

Celtic recorded an eleventh straight victory over Motherwell to extend their lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.

Ange Postecoglou’s side were in rampant form as they found the net four times to make it 19 games unbeaten, putting the pressure on their arch-rivals.

Liel Abada and Daizen Maeda scored either side of a Tom Rogic brace on what was his return to the starting XI and he announced his comeback in stunning fashion as he nonchalantly rifled home an effort from long range.

The Australian midfielder stayed on for the whole game and recorded the highest rating of any Bhoys player (8.7), as per SofaScore.

However, in a quickfire first half it was the presence of Israeli winger that caused all sorts of trouble for the home side.

“Celtic are creating so many opportunities through Abada – and that’s a huge problem from Motherwell. Total composure from the Hatate with the pass,” claimed former Hoops goalkeeper Pat Bonner to BBC Sportsround after the 20-year-old’s opener.

He may have lasted only 45 minutes but Postecoglou obviously wants him rested before their trip to Aberdeen in midweek and that goes to show just how important he is for this side.

From 36 touches, Abada laid on three key passes which resulted in the two goals after he had banged in the first effort. He also made 82% of his 17 passing attempts, via SofaScore.

It’s awfully telling that Celtic’s free-scoring nature quietened down when he was withdrawn at the break.

The Scottish Daily Express ranked Abada amongst the Hoops’ highest-performers, grading him a joint-best 10/10.

‘Looked lively again from the beginning and took up dangerous positions in the box, eventually making a darting run to knock in the opener from a Hatate pass. Influential in the third goal too teeing up Rogic perfectly,’ they wrote.

On that evidence, the £4.05m-rated dynamo absolutely ran the show in the short time he was on the pitch and the Australian head coach will be hoping that he can repeat such exploits on Wednesday evening.

AND in other news, Nicholson continuing Ange’s revolution as Celtic make bid for “graceful” 111 G/A beast…

Celtic have been handed a big boost in their bid to keep in-demand striker Odsonne Edouard this summer.

The Hoops forward has been linked with the Parkhead exit door for a considerable period of time and his future remains particularly unclear.

What’s the word?

Edouard has been catching the eye of the English Premier League for over a year now.

Interest mounted last summer but his time in Glasgow has been severely under threat in the last few months.

West Ham wanted him in January while Leicester and Arsenal are now among the frontrunners at this moment in time.

That said, they have now received a boost in their bid to keep him at Lennoxtown. That’s because according to Anfield Central, he’s actually rejected a contract from Liverpool.

They reportedly threw a weekly salary of £60,000 his way but he turned them down because he wasn’t keen on playing second fiddle to their current options.

This is the issue that a number of teams could have this summer which now elevates the hope of him remaining in Scotland.

A key figure

Edouard has been a fantastic servant for Celtic down the years but it’s hard to deny that he hasn’t downed tools in the last few months.

Heading into the Old Firm derby on Sunday, the Frenchman had only scored once in his last five league outings with his overall contribution failing to set the world alight.

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He wasn’t running hard for the team and then when he got in goal scoring positions, he spurned opportunities that you’d back him to finish with his eyes closed.

The Scottish Cup fourth round defeat to Rangers was a particularly bad one. Edouard missed a simple chance from a matter of yards out and then saw a penalty saved by Allan McGregor in the Gers goal.

That said, he is still a devastating player, an individual capable of carrying the Bhoys to glory. He has scored 82 in 166 for Celtic and has 21 goals this term, by far the most of anyone in the current squad.

Edouard looked back to his best last weekend too. Although the Hoops were thrashed 4-1 by their biggest rivals, the striker still put in a shift.

He scored a well-timed header at the back post to equalise and was then described as “magical” by Ally McCoist during Sky Sports’ coverage of the game for plucking a long ball forward out of the sky with a mesmerising touch.

On his day, Edouard can look sluggish and disinterested. However, if he’s in form, he’s undoubtedly the best player in the whole division.

In the last two seasons, the attacker has scored 38 goals in the Premiership, 14 more than Alfredo Morelos for instance.

The fact that he’s rejected a contract from one of the biggest teams in Europe should leave Dermot Desmond and Dominic McKay delighted; they simply have to keep a hold of him.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Bain: Celtic dud who lost 71% duels was “absolutely skinned” today…

Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster is now ‘in a strong position’ to earn himself a new contract with the club after a run of impressive performances, according to journalist Tom Barclay.

The Lowdown: Forster’s contract at Southampton

The England international is set to be out of contract this summer upon the expiry of his latest extension, which he signed in 2017.

Somewhat surprisingly, the 34-year-old is Southampton’s second-highest earner, currently taking home a staggering £70,000 per week. This significantly trumps some of the club’s star players, including the likes of James Ward-Prowse, who earns a reported £45,000 per week.

As a result, the vast figures involved in his current contract have raised question marks over whether the former Celtic stopper will be offered a fresh deal by Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side when it comes to the end of the season.

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The Latest: Barclay’s claim on Forster

Barclay believes that Forster’s recent performances and fine form has been able to convince Hasenhuttl that the veteran goalkeeper deserves to remain with the club next season.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, the reporter claimed: “I think he’s put himself in a really good position. It’s quite a turnaround given the situation he was in earlier this season. He was very much expected to leave given he is on big wages.

“He has definitely put himself in a strong position. I don’t think talks have begun yet on that front, so it’s not a done deal so to speak, but it could be quite likely that he will be given a new contract now.”

The Verdict: Deserves to stay

Following the long-term injury sustained by Alex McCarthy in December, Forster has subsequently played every Premier League game for which he has been available.

During this time, he has strung together a number of fantastic performances which even saw him receive a call-up to the England national team. Indeed, Hasenhuttl singled the goalkeeper out recently after his acrobatic saves earnt Southampton three points against a Champions League-chasing Arsenal side.

Therefore, having made a resurgence back in the first XI, Forster deserves to keep his place in this Saints team next season and will have earned any new deal potentially awarded to him.

In other news: Christian Falk reveals Southampton interest in one Bundesliga star

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has suggested that Arsenal should have kept goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

Martinez, who left Arsenal to join Villa in the last summer transfer window for regular playing time, has been in superb form this season.

In the current Premier League campaign, the 28-year-old has kept 14 clean sheets, a number only bettered by Manchester City’s Ederson.

Last term, following a serious injury to Bernd Leno, Martinez was given an opportunity between the sticks at the Emirates and absolutely delivered. He helped inspire Arsenal to their 14th FA Cup trophy after the Gunners managed to beat London rivals Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley, really staking a claim for a more long-term role.

In the end, however, it was not enough to convince Mikel Arteta, who allowed Martinez to leave the club, a decision Hendrie has questioned.

“I feel that Martinez should have stayed at Arsenal for how he performed,” the ex-Villa star told FFC.

“I just felt that it was in his divine right to be given a chance, and you could see why he wasn’t going to sit around and have all that high talk of how well he’s done and not push on and build on that. I’ve got total respect for him.

“But, listen, managers make their own minds up at times and, you know, sometimes it works, sometimes it goes against you.”

Arsenal’s current No.1 Leno will next be in action when the north London club take on Liverpool after the international break.

West Ham United have reportedly made an offer to sign out-of-contract Napoli defender Nikola Maksimovic, according to Corriere Dello Sport journalist Antonio Giordano (via Area Napoli).

THE LOWDOWN: DEFENDER SET FOR THE NAPOLI EXIT DOOR

Maksimovic’s contract with Napoli is set to expire this summer, and it appears as though he’s attracting interest ahead of the 2021/22 season.

He first signed for the club in 2016, and went on to make 99 appearances in total, although he found regular minutes in the 2020/21 campaign hard to come by on a consistent basis.

With Fabian Balbuena being released by West Ham at the end of his contract with the club, it seems as though David Moyes is keen to add to his defensive options at the earliest of opportunities.

THE LATEST: WEST HAM MAKE THEIR MOVE TO LAND MAKSIMOVIC’S SIGNATURE

According to Corriere Dello Sport journalist Antonio Giordano (via Area Napoli), West Ham have reportedly made an offer to land Maksimovic’s signature this summer.

The defender is available on a free transfer, and with no new agreement with Napoli in place, it seems as though he’s likely to be heading for the exit door in the near future.

“He has had offers from Betis, Sevilla, West Ham and Crystal Palace but has not decided,” Giordano claims.

It remains to be seen as to whether the defender is keen on a move to Moyes’ side, although the prospect of playing European football could make it a tempting proposition for the £9million-rated man.

THE VERDICT: IT COULD BE A SMART BIT OF BUSINESS BY THE HAMMERS

This would be a real statement of intent by the Hammers heading into the new Premier League campaign, which is set to get underway in August.

They’re going to need additional strength in depth in their team this term, as they’re competing in Europe, as well as domestically in the Premier League.

Maksimovic has experience of playing in the Champions League whilst with Napoli, so he could be exactly what West Ham need moving forwards, adding depth and know-how at the highest level.

On a potential free transfer as well, this could turn out to be an excellent bit of business for the Hammers this summer.

Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour would have been a brilliant addition to Rangers, that is according to the club’s former defender Michael Ball.

Gilmour, who impressed at Euro 2020 for Scotland, has joined Premier League newcomers Norwich City on a season-long loan.

He had been linked with a loan move to Ibrox, with the Daily Record reporting prior that Steven Gerrard was interested in bringing the former Rangers youth product back to the club.

For Ball, if the Scottish Premiership champions managed to get that over the line, it could have been quite the acquisition.

“It would have been brilliant,” the ex-Rangers player told TT in an exclusive interview. “He loves the club, the club love him and the fans adored him.

“We know how much of a talent he is. He showed that against England in the Euros, man of the match. He’s a top-quality player.”

Gilmour rarely started for Chelsea last season, hence his loan move to Norwich. However, when the Scotland international did play, he impressed.

In a 1-1 draw against Russian outfit FC Krasnodar in the Champions League, Gilmour completed three key passes, the same as Kai Havertz and more than Jorginho (via WhoScored).

Gilmour also recorded the second-highest pass success rate (89.2) in his side that night, so he looks like he could have brought a lot to Rangers’ midfield.

Aston Villa were beaten at the death by Liverpool on Saturday, and the fans were far from happy with the performance of Marvelous Nakamba.

The Villans travelled to Anfield to face a team that had scored just once at home this calendar year (Sky Sports), and they took the lead towards the end of the first 45 minutes through Ollie Watkins, who slotted home calmly past Alisson.

However, Mohamed Salah was on hand after the break to level things up, and Trent Alexander-Arnold scored late on to win the game for his side.

The Villa fans were far from happy with what they saw from Nakamba. Although the Midlands outfit took the lead, it was far from a good display from the Zimbabwe international, who was often guilty of giving the ball away easily. Also, his poor marking contributed to the goal that saw his side pegged back.

Nakamba managed just 31 touches in total, which was actually 18 less than his own goalkeeper, Emi Martinez, who was in fine form as always (Sofascore).

The supporters took to social media platform Twitter in their droves to share their thoughts on his showing.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Nakamba below

“Take Nakamba off please not completed a pass yet”

Credit: @leebavfc

“Inevitable equaliser but poor from Martinez that. Awful tracking from Nakamba before that too.”

Credit: @Valentine06

“Nakamba switched off”

Credit: @SotcAvfc

“Nakamba been off it today”

Credit: @jemail97

“Douglas Luiz and nakamba absolutley shocking”

Credit: @Jasonmoss1995

“Nakamba looks to be a bit of a passenger today.”

Credit: @TallieJ

In other news, Villa fans are livid at this latest injury news.

Earlier this month Southampton announced that Ryan Bertrand would be leaving the club when his contract expires this summer and former Leicester City defender Steve Howey has urged the left-back to join the Foxes.

Bertrand joined the Saints in 2015 when he left Chelsea having won both the Champions League and Europa League with the Blues, and he may leave with a heavy heart having made 240 appearances on the south coast.

Since the news broke that the former England international would be leaving the Saints, he has been heavily linked with a move to both Arsenal and Leicester with the two clubs experiencing very different fortunes this season.

Howey believes that if he wants the bright lights and money then go to London, but for footballing reasons he has to pick the Foxes – something he explained exclusively to Football FanCast:

“I think Leicester is a fantastic club at the minute and you just look at the squad and it appears that they are a close-knit group so for me, I would pick them.

“It always sounds better when you tell people you played for Arsenal instead of Leicester, but Leicester is a fabulous club with an unbelievable owner, very good manager and they have some top players.”

The Foxes managed to finish higher in the Premier League than Arsenal so if Bertrand was to join the Gunners then he would not be experiencing any European football for at least one season.

Left-back appears to be more of a problem area for Mikel Arteta as he has often wanted to deploy number one full-back, Kieran Tierney, as a third centre back so having Bertrand at the club could help him do that on a more regular basis.

Steve Bruce has now dealt a triple injury blow to Newcastle United ahead of their game at home to Leeds United in the Premier League on Friday night.

The Lowdown: Pressure mounts

There is now significant pressure on Bruce to get a result against Marcelo Bielsa’s team at St. James’ Park.

The North East club currently sit in 19th place in the Premier League table on just one point, with the Whites sat just above them in 17th (Premier League).

The Latest: Team news

Speaking in his pre-game press conference ahead of the match against the Whites, Bruce has now revealed that it will come ‘too soon’ for Callum Wilson, Jonjo Shelvey and Paul Dummett.

It means that he will now have to try and find a way to get a result without three of his first-team players.

The Verdict: Body blow

It certainly is a blow for the Tyneside outfit to be without all three players against the Elland Road faithful, especially the firing power that Wilson possesses.

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The striker has already managed to score two goals in three matches in total so far this term (Transfermarkt), and could well have made the difference at the top end of the pitch, with Leeds missing three centre-backs through injury or suspension.

Nonetheless, other players in the squad will have to step up now in what looks to be a vital fixture already in the race to avoid being relegated down to the EFL Championship.

In other news, find out which Magpies have trained ahead of the clash here!