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Arsenal are the latest club to be linked with a move for Tammy Abraham this summer…

What’s the word?

According to The Telegraph’s Matt Law, the Gunners are interested in the 23-year-old striker, who Chelsea have already offered out to a number of clubs in recent weeks.

Abraham has been made available to Arsenal’s arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur, along with Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund, whilst other reports suggest that he’s the primary target for West Ham manager David Moyes in this transfer window.

Several Blues players have swapped Stamford Bridge for the Emirates Stadium in recent years, including David Luiz and Willian, so the England international could be the next man to do so.

With Alexandre Lacazette’s contract expiring in a year, he could well be sold to fund a potential £40m move for Abraham, who is widely expected to be departing Chelsea this summer.

Shades of Henry

Interestingly, Abraham was a boyhood Arsenal fan who idolised the legendary Thierry Henry. Speaking during a loan spell at Bristol City in 2016/17, he claimed: “To be honest I was an Arsenal fan. It didn’t make any difference at Chelsea.

“When you’re young and you choose who to support, if it’s a family thing, it’s a family thing. Luckily for me, it was a family thing, so it wasn’t really a problem at Chelsea.

“Someone I looked up to was Thierry Henry. His variations of finishing, his movement, the way he dribbles… someone like that has a key impact on me. I would love to be as big as him and maybe even better.”

Could Mikel Arteta be about to find the Gunners’ next Henry?

Abraham has fallen heavily out of favour since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel in the dugout at Stamford Bridge, although the England international still finished the season just one goal behind Jorginho, the club’s top goalscorer in the Premier League with seven.

His overall record for Chelsea is 30 goals in 82 appearances, which is a pretty respectable return at this level.

The 23-year-old is certainly a different presence to what Arteta currently has at his disposal in Arsenal’s attack. At 6 foot 3, he offers the same sort of rangy presence as Henry during his heyday, and the fact that he has effectively modelled his game on the Frenchman only bodes well.

Furthermore, former academy teammate Kasey Palmer once dubbed him a “goal machine.”

Lacazette is more stocky, whilst Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has seemingly cemented his place down on the left flank, thus opening up a spot in the current squad.

A move to the Emirates should appeal greatly too, with Abraham targeting a return to Gareth Southgate’s England squad in time for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Also described as a “phenomenal player” by former Premier League manager Alex McLeish, the £36m-rated forward would surely be an interesting acquisition for Arsenal this summer.

AND in other news, Fabrizio Romano drops exciting Arsenal transfer update…

Former Newcastle United defender Steve Howey has told The Transfer Tavern in an exclusive interview that his old side should not pay more than £25m for Arsenal’s Joe Willock.

Willock spent the second half of last season on loan at St. James’ Park, where he performed exceptionally well.

In 21 appearances, the 21-year-old midfielder managed to score eight goals, with seven out of the eight coming in seven consecutive games.

Willock is now being linked with a return to Newcastle, with The Sun recently reporting that he could cost up to £30m.

Speaking exclusively to TT about the player, Howey said:

“20, 25, that would be for me. I wouldn’t go any higher than that. I mean, he could turn out to be absolutely outstanding but, like all players, he could just go to the club after a very impressive loan spell and not do very well.”

The Sun also reports that manager Steve Bruce’s budget is set to be £50m, so Willock’s transfer could easily take half of that.

Even so, if the 2020/21 campaign is anything to go by, it still looks worth it. That knack Willock had for scoring goals from midfield, simply put, does not look like it is easy to find.

Leicester City have received a potentially significant boost in their pursuit of Sassuolo winger Domenico Berardi.

What’s the story?

The Foxes have been linked with a move for the Italy international in recent weeks as Brendan Rodgers looks to strengthen his first-team squad.

Sassuolo’s CEO Giovanni Carnevali has now admitted he can’t ensure Berardi will stay at the Mapei Stadium next season, giving Leicester hope that a deal can be made.

“I cannot promise that Berardi will stay. It is not a question of money,” he was quoted as saying by Italian broadcaster Sportitalia (as reported by Inside Futbol).

Rodgers will be buzzing

The 26-year-old forward has been one of Serie A’s standout performers over the last few years, bagging 86 goals and providing a further 56 assists in 238 top-flight appearances for his boyhood club, and reports that he could be available this summer will surely delight Leicester chief Rodgers.

Cengiz Under has returned to parent club AS Roma after a disappointing loan spell at the King Power Stadium last term, leaving the Foxes light on numbers out wide. An injury to the highly-rated Harvey Barnes at the backend of 2020/21 saw the likes of Ayoze Perez and Ricardo Pereira forced to plug a gap on the right-hand side, undermining the team’s excellent early-season form.

With the ageing Marc Albrighton the only recognised right winger in Leicester’s first team squad, an extra body is badly needed if the Foxes are to finally finish inside the top four.

Berardi has established a solid reputation in his homeland for bursting down the wing with his blistering pace, before cutting inside on his favoured left foot and burying the ball beyond the keeper. He’s had no difficulty in transferring his impressive exploits at club level onto the international scene, laying on two assists for the Azzurri in their Euro 2020 group stage encounters.

Berardi’s possible addition to the FA Cup holders’ forward ranks would make them a daunting prospect for any Premier League defence next season, and the club’s supporters will surely be hoping that director of football Jon Rudkin can get this deal over the line.

In other news… Leicester handed major injury boost ahead of next season, Rodgers will be buzzing 

Liverpool have been linked with a move for AS Roma midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport, the Anfield outfit have already lodged a £25.8 million bid to sign the 24-year-old this summer.

The report goes on to claim that Pellegrini wants to remain at his boyhood over the coming months. However, a separate story in The Mirror revealed that new Roma boss Jose Mourinho intends to bring his own midfielders to the Stadio Olimpico and that the club captain is yet to agree to terms on a new deal.

Edwards must swoop

Gini Wijnaldum’s exit after five successful years at Liverpool leaves the need for a direct replacement in Jurgen Klopp’s first-team squad.

The Dutch international featured in all 38 Premier League games last season, and the Reds require someone of similar quality and reliability to succeed him.

Several names, such as Saul Niguez and Florian Neuhaus, have been linked with doing just that, but perhaps the most realistic prospect is Pellegrini.

Mourinho’s arrival in the Italian capital is expected to bring mass changes to the Giallorossi, with Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka heavily linked with a move to the Serie A giants.

And his arrival could spell the end for Pellegrini, who is set to enter the final 12 months of his current contract.

The Italy international made 47 appearances in all competitions last season, scoring 11 goals and providing a further nine assists, and his impressive displays have earned high praise from club legend Francesco Totti in the past.

“I am not surprised by the development of Pellegrini. As I always know, Lorenzo is a phenomenal player. Now, everything depends on him to continue to be at this level,” said Totti.

His departure from Rome could be a big loss for Mourinho. Pellegrini recorded the joint-second highest amount of assists in the Italian top-flight in 2020/21 amongst his teammates, 1.9 key passes per game, more than any other Roma player, and an impressive 7.23 WhoScored rating, a figure only bettered by Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

Wijnaldum’s exit will undoubtedly come as a blow to Liverpool’s chances of regaining the Premier League title next season, but bringing in Pellegrini would certainly ease the pain, and director of football Michael Edwards must swoop for the young star.

And, in other news…Edwards masterstroke: LFC could seal their next Coutinho in “exceptional” £17.5m gem 

Some Liverpool supporters have been left delighted after it emerged that The Reds look set to offer Mohamed Salah a new deal at Anfield.

The Egyptian has been an unbelievable servant for the Merseysiders, arguably proving to be the best signing of the Jurgen Klopp era.

Salah has scored an incredible 125 goals in 203 appearances for Liverpool, becoming a legendary modern-day figure at the club.

While the Reds struggled for much of last season, the 28-year-old was again outstanding, netting 31 times in all competitions and standing out above his teammates.

There has been speculation surrounding Salah’s Liverpool future in recent months, but according to the Paul Gorst of The Liverpool Echo, the club are keen to offer the forward a new deal imminently.

It would be just reward for the player himself and it is vital that the Reds keep hold of such a prized, world-class asset.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-copy-2/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans overjoyed with Salah news

A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting to the news on Twitter, which was relayed on by the LFC Transfer Room account.

“How did I miss this? OMG huge if true”

Credit: @ROBSON_THE_RED

“Give him a blank cheque. Whatever he wants”

Credit: @BJRussell95

“Best news today”

Credit: @Rakpenguin63

“Liverpool look set to offer Mohamed Salah a new contract after months of deliberation. Pay the man whatever he wants”

Credit: @MattThielen

“Give the man whatever he wants”

Credit: @slyjoe22

“I thought we were going to sell him to buy Mbappe, Sancho and the moon. Great news this!”

Credit: @ChampionsAnchee

In other news, some Liverpool fans want one player to leave the club this summer. Find out who it is here. 

Ralph Hasenhuttl could take Southampton to where Leicester City are now, says the club’s former vice-chairman Les Reed.

Since Brendan Rodgers took over, Leicester have been on an incredible upward trajectory.

The Foxes, of course, recently won the FA Cup and just narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification this campaign, as well as the one prior.

And with significant investment, Reed believes Hasenhuttl could do something similar at St. Mary’s.

Speaking on Leicester, Southampton and Hasenhuttl, the former Charlton Athletic manager told TT in an exclusive interview:

“I think there are expectations that Ralph Hasenhuttl has this quality to be able to take them to where Leicester are now. But it has to be more than that.

“He needs the tools to do the job, and I think that would require either significant investment initially or everyone to buy into a longer term plan.”

Hasenhuttl managed to guide Southampton to an FA Cup semi-final with what he is working with now, ironically losing out to Leicester, so perhaps he really could elevate this Saints side with the right kind of backing.

What the Austrian did at RB Leipzig, leading the German side to 2nd place in the Bundesliga back in the 2016/17 season, is also arguably a show of his credentials.

Many Crystal Palace fans have been left to slam the display of Andros Townsend in the first half of their game away at Sheffield United on Saturday afternoon.

The former Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United man did not put in an inspiring performance in the eyes of several members of the Selhurst Park faithful, as he was particularly wasteful from set pieces.

He as also guilty of giving the ball away on too many occasions, and was lucky that the Blades were not able to capitalise on his overall sloppiness in general play.

Given the chance to impress from the start by Roy Hodgson, the 29-year-old surely needs to improve on his display in the second half of the match if he wants to continue to play under the former Liverpool and England international manager for the remaining few fixtures of the season.

Crystal Palace fans on Townsend display

These Eagles slammed his display on Twitter, with one CPFC supporter even going as far as to claim that the Englishman is ‘awful’:

“Townsend seems like a good bloke. But he’s an awful footballer.”

Credit: @WarrenAJB

“Townsend’s free kicks are still awful I see”

Credit: @cpfc_sean

“My god Andros Townsend is garbage. Can’t believe I used to defend him against @chrisbowerbank and @acrossthepond”

Credit: @tcalvin93

“Oh my god Townsend leave”

Credit: @localpla6tic

“Don’t worry nobody has been sent off we’re just playing Andros Townsend”

Credit: @Adam_Palace

“Townsend shouldn’t get a new deal for next year”

Credit: @PalaceFanDan

In other news, find out what Paulo Fonseca update has got Eagles talking here!

Paul Dummett is a product of Newcastle United’s academy having made his debut in 2013 under Alan Pardew, and Rob Lee, who was signed by Kevin Keegan in 1992, has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that the Newcastle fans want to see him stay at the club.

There have been reports suggesting that the Magpies are set to activate the extra one year option in Dummett’s contract as the former Wales international’s current deal is set to expire at the end of the season.

Since returning from injury back in March, Dummett has started the last 10 Premier League games as Steve Bruce has opted to play the 29-year old as a centre back, something he appears to be revelling in as he got his first goal in five years against Leicester City recently.

Dummett netted his first-ever goal for the Magpies in a 2-2 draw against Liverpool back in 2013 and since then he has only scored another three times, but the fans love seeing one of their own dons the black and white shirt, that is what Lee thinks as he exclusively spoke to The Transfer Tavern:

“He probably has been at the club since he was three knowing Paul Dummett, but he’s a good player and he does a very good job for the club every time he plays.

“I’m sure he’d love to stay and I’m sure the fans would love him to stay because he’s a Geordie. That’s one thing Newcastle fans love, seeing one of their own play for their team so I don’t see what the problem is in giving him a new deal.”

The Magpies have an important summer ahead of them as they have six players set to be out of contract with a number of those players having been at the club for several years.

If Bruce decided that the £35,000 per week defender’s best position is as a centre back then it may not be surprising to see them sign another left-back this summer, and former loanee Jetro Willems has been linked with a move as he will be a free agent next month.

Former Leicester City striker Brian Deane has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that Ryan Bertrand would fit in well at his old club.

Bertrand is a free agent this month after deciding not to extend his contract at Southampton and the King Power looks the most likely destination for the 31-year-old left-back.

According to Football Insider, Bertrand has already agreed to join the Foxes in a blow to other Premier League outfits, such as Arsenal, who are also said to be interested in his signature.

Ultimately, for Deane, it is a move that makes a lot of sense. Reacting to the news, the ex-Leicester star said:

“He’s a good player. He has proven pedigree in the Premier League. Christian Fuchs has been released so could come in and slot in there.

“So he could be one that fits in quite well, saves them money.”

Indeed, Bertrand is a defender with a lot of experience after spells with Chelsea, Aston Villa and most recently Southampton.

Across those spells, the 2012 Champions League winner made close to 260 Premier League appearances, becoming an England international along the way.

So if Brendan Rodgers feels his side needs some more experience, then Bertrand could be a good option in that regard.

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, Rob Lee, who played 18 times for West Ham, has claimed that they will have to pay £40 million to prise John McGinn away from Aston Villa this summer.

The Hammers will be looking to improve their squad at the end of the season as they look to make another push for Europe, and they’ve been linked with McGinn from Villa who has proved himself to be a versatile and effective player.

Players such as Andriy Yarmolenko and Felipe Anderson are likely to be moved on this summer with their contracts set to expire in 2022, and David Moyes will want to squeeze every last penny out of his transfer budget.

Speaking on how he’s been impressed with John McGinn this season and how much West Ham will have to pay to sign the Scotland international, Lee told The Transfer Tavern:

“John McGinn has been very good, and I like him because he’s not your typical looking football player, which I love.

“He would be an asset to anybody but can any team prise him away from Aston Villa? They’ll probably ask for around £40 million because the prices are so mad these days.”

The £25,000-per-week winger has been a mainstay in the Villa side ever since Dean Smith came to the club, however he was signed by current Newcastle United manager Steve Bruce from Hibernian in 2018.

Villa had aims of qualify for Europe this season, but a shin injury to captain and talisman Jack Grealish has seen their form take a turn for the worst.