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Reputable journalist Christian Falk has backed reports of Liverpool’s interest in Chelsea forward Christian Pulisic this summer. 

The lowdown: Klopp connection

Despite never playing under Jurgen Klopp, Pulisic has often been indexed to the German, having come through the ranks and being given a first senior training session by the 54-year-old before representing Borussia Dortmund on 127 occasions.

Klopp hailed the USA captain as a ‘fantastic skilled boy’ in 2018, whilst the 23-year-old reciprocated the praise in describing the Reds manager as a ‘great guy’ when asked for his opinion on potentially playing under him in the future.

Having initially been linked with a move to Anfield prior to spending three years at Chelsea which have been truncated by injuries, Liverpool could be about to reignite their interest in the American…

The latest: Falk backs Liverpool links with Pulisic

Taking to Twitter, SPORT Bild’s chief football reporter Falk has seemingly confirmed that the Reds are considering a move for the 23-year-old.

He stated: “TRUE @LFC is interested in Christian Pulisic (23) as replacement for Sadio Mané (@FCBayern) @ChelseaFC”

The verdict: Assurances needed

Despite Pulisic’s talents, any move for the versatile forward would need to firstly see fitness concerns were allayed, as the American has missed an eye-opening 44 matches over his three seasons in London.

Recently praised by journalist Kyle Bonagura for a ‘world class’ goal for the USA against Morocco, the 49-cap ace scored eight times and provided five assists in 38 appearances across all competitions this season.

Equally adept on either wing or as an attacking midfielder, Pulisic – who holds a perceived market value of £40.5m from Transfermarkt – would offer a supreme versatility to the Anfield squad that would be a welcome addition to Klopp’s ranks.

Although the American has only made 10 career outings as a striker, the role in which Sadio Mane ended the 2021/22 campaign, his age and his ability to adapt to new roles could lend themselves to another noteworthy transformation under Klopp if the 23-year-old swaps west London for Merseyside.

In other news: Liverpool are preparing to up their chase for PL ‘magician’ this summer, read more here

Leeds United midfielder Jamie Shackleton could leave the club on loan this summer, according to The Yorkshire Evening Post.

The Lowdown: Shackleton at Elland Road

Shackleton has been around the first-team squad ever since Marcelo Bielsa handed the academy graduate his debut during the 2018/19 season.

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The central midfielder, who can also play as a right-back, has made 79 appearances for the Whites in all competitions – 14 of which came during the 2021/22 campaign.

However, the 22-year-old only played 22 minutes of action under Jesse Marsch and is entering the final two years of his Elland Road contract.

The Latest: Loan exit?

Leeds journalist Joe Donnohue shared a story on The Yorkshire Evening Post on Saturday morning, looking at the club’s summer plans.

Donnohue stated that Marsch is open to the idea of several youngsters leaving to gain regular game time and said that Shackleton could be a prime candidate to depart on a temporary basis.

The Verdict: Keep?

Leeds are fairly short of midfield and right-back options already, so sending Shackleton out on loan may not be the best idea. Kalvin Phillips has been heavily linked with a summer exit, and should he depart, Marsch would be extremely short in central midfield despite making Brenden Aaronson his first signing as head coach.

Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas are also out injured heading into the 2022/23 season, so it wouldn’t make sense to send Shackleton, who Bielsa called ‘important’, out on loan, especially with Phillips reportedly top of Manchester City’s priorities to replace Fernandinho.

It looks as if that could be the case, though, following his lack of game time in Marsch’s first 12 games in charge, so it could be one to keep an eye on as the American aims to put his stamp on the side with a summer rebuild.

In other news: Orta now working on bizarre transfer for ‘magnificent’ ace; he has history with Leeds supporters.  

According to reliable journalist Dan Kilpatrick of The Evening Standard, Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte could see a ‘cult status’ player leave as he eyes a double summer swoop.

The Lowdown: Spurs summer reshuffle…

A major revamp at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been mooted ahead of Conte’s first full Premier League season in charge of the Lilywhites.

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After a summit with transfer chief Fabio Paratici in Italy on Friday, it is believed that a long list of transfer targets has now been drawn up, coming after Tottenham also announced a £150 million capital increase just before the summer window.

These are promising and exciting times to be a Spurs supporter, but according to Kilpatrick, the north Londoners still need to balance the books with outgoings.

Even in-form players aren’t safe from the possible axe as he shares who could leave Hotspur Way.

The Latest: Tottenham open to Emerson offers…

Kilpatrick, writing for The Standard, claims both Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal, despite the pair being Conte’s ‘biggest success stories’ and ‘achieving almost cult status’ by the end of 2021/2022, could be sold by Spurs.

He says Tottenham ‘will listen to offers for both’, coming as the Lilywhites head coach eyes a new full-back signing on each flank as his ‘top priority’.

Indeed, Conte would ‘ideally’ like a new addition on either side as he eyes a double-summer swoop.

The Verdict: Right call?

While Doherty’s form before his injury will raise question marks over the Irishman’s possible sale, we believe Emerson’s potential exit is all the more surprising.

Still just 23-years-old, he finished the season strongly as one of Tottenham’s top 10 performers going by average match rating – all while making the second-most tackles per 90 behind star defender Cristian Romero (WhoScored).

Emerson also improved going forward with the third-highest amount of crosses from out-wide out of Conte’s squad, backing pundit Kevin Campbell’s early-season theory that the Brazilian is a ‘perfect’ full-back (Football Insider).

That being said, if Conte has set his sights on upgrading the full-back areas, Tottenham should perhaps let him take the reins given he somehow guided them to Champions League football.

In other news: Conte could see ‘one of the best in the world’ join Tottenham after behind-scenes demand, find out more here.

West Ham United are willing to sanction the sale of Issa Diop in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by ExWHUemployee, who revealed in a recent interview with The West Ham Way that, should David Moyes be able to sign a new centre-back in the off-season, the Hammers will look to offload the 25-year-old this summer.

Regarding the former France under-21 international’s future, the Irons insider said: “With regards to Issa Diop, it’s my understanding that if a decent replacement can be found then I believe the club will look to move him on.

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“It is thought he would still command a decent fee and there are a number of clubs interested including some serious interest already displayed from France, including our Europa League opponents Lyon.”

Supporters will be buzzing

Considering how poor Diop has been for West Ham this season, the news that the club will finally be looking to move him on this summer – four years after his then club-record £22m signing – in favour of a more talented recruit is sure to have left the London Stadium faithful buzzing.

Indeed, over his 13 Premier League appearances this term, the £10.8m-rated centre-back has looked extremely shaky in the heart of the West Ham backline, helping his side to keep just two clean sheets, averaging a mere 0.5 interceptions and 0.8 tackles and winning 2.4 duels per game.

These returns have seen the £67k-per-week defender, who Jack Rosser dubbed “shocking”, average a disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.69, ranking him as Moyes’ sixth-worst player in the English top flight.

As such, with it being abundantly clear that Diop is simply not of the standard required for a team who now look as if they will be regular challengers for a top-six finish in the Premier League, the news that there are plans to offload the 25-year-old this summer must be music to the ears of a great many of the West Ham fanbase.

AND in other news – “I have been told”: Ex drops big West Ham transfer claim, it would be a signing “like Van Dijk”

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has now backed some big recent transfer claims involving Tottenham Hotspur and Pau Torres of Villarreal.

The Lowdown: Spurs in the mix for Torres?

Spurs head coach Antonio Conte is allegedly setting his sights on the signing of a central defender and has apparently earmarked the Spaniard as a primary summer target.

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Torres has been a mainstay under Unai Emery over the 2021/22 La Liga season, and Tottenham transfer chief Fabio Paratici has actually tried to bring him to the Premier League before, as confirmed by the player himself.

Reports have indicated that Spurs are now confident that they can strike an agreement for the 25-year-old, who wants now wants to leave Villarreal.

Indeed, the Lilywhites hold a serious interest in Torres, as now backed by Sky Sports reporter Bridge.

The Latest: Bridge backs Torres reports…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, the journalist claimed that there is ‘no doubt’ that Tottenham are eyeing a move for Torres.

Bridge explained: “He is definitely on their radar – there’s no doubt about that. But he would probably be one of the more expensive options in a long list of defenders they’re looking at.”

The Verdict: Time to advance…

While there are many promising candidates to become a member of Conte’s back three, we believe that Torres stands out as one of the more elite targets.

Spain manager Luis Enrique reveres the defender’s partnership with Aymeric Laporte at international level, perhaps best summed up by his description of the Villarreal titan as ‘sensational’.

As ever, the only sticking point for Spurs is the finances involved, but reports have suggested that the club are confident they can sign him for less than his £55m release clause.

Going by the plethora of reports, now backed by a reliable source, this may well be one to keep an eye on.

In other news: Paratici tables crucial bid as Conte personally pushes for Spurs signing! Find out more here.

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips has warned Sunderland of a ‘horrible’ let-down if they get too complacent following the celebrations for reaching the League One play-off final.

The Lowdown: Route to Wembley

The Black Cats went into the second leg of their third-tier play-off semi-final against Sheffield Wednesday with a 1-0 lead following Ross Stewart’s goal at the Stadium of Light, but the game looked set to be going to extra-time at Hillsborough after Lee Gregory found an equaliser for the Owls on 74 minutes.

However, winger Patrick Roberts came up with the goods for Alex Neil’s outfit by adding a winner in stoppage time to give Sunderland the 2-1 aggregate victory, meaning that they will now head to Wembley to take on Wycombe Wanderers in the ultimate showdown on May 21st.

The Latest: Phillips reacts to celebrations

After seeing his former side’s epic celebrations at Wednesday, Phillips has urged them to remain fully focused, telling ChronicleLive: “Enjoy tonight, rightly so and they get ready and start preparing for a week Saturday which is so important because you don’t want to go there and let you down.

“I’ve been there with Sunderland and it’s horrible to lose in a play-off final but believe me when you do win a play-off final it’s one of the best ways to get promoted and I hope these guys feel that on the 21st.

“They’ve [Sunderland] been stuck in it [League One] for four years, they’ve got another opportunity on the 21st to get out of it, but it’ll be a tough tough match. Everyone will make Sunderland the favourites.

“Ultimately, as Clinton [Morrison] will tell you, when these moments come around, you have to enjoy them. Definitely go and have a beer tonight, enjoy yourselves tonight and tomorrow and then come back in whenever you do refocussed to go again.”

The Verdict: Neil’s the perfect man for the job

Alex Neil first joined the Black Cats on an initial 12-month rolling deal back in February where he took over as Lee Johnson’s successor following their 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Bolton Wanderers, which ultimately saw his time at the club come to an end.

The 40-year-old took charge of the last 15 league games of the season after arriving and has quite literally transformed Sunderland’s record, having won eight, drawn six, and lost just one of those outings, as per Transfermarkt, so it’s no wonder they managed to secure a play-off place after displaying such scintillating form.

The Bellshill-born manager already has experience of being in this position having guided Norwich City and Hamilton up through the play-offs and there’s no reason why he won’t be able to do it again later this month.

In other news… a finance expert has dropped a huge claim regarding the club’s potential takeover.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been dealt a coaching staff blow after Fred Rutten rejected a move to Old Trafford, as per The Metro.

The Lowdown: Ten Hag announced as United manager

The Dutchman was announced as the new Red Devils manager last month and is set to arrive at Old Trafford over the coming weeks when the current campaign ends.

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Ten Hag has signed a contract through to 2025 in Manchester but is still yet to secure deals for any coaching staff. Rutten was seemingly on his radar, but the experienced manager – who is currently working behind the scenes with NEC Nijmegen – won’t be heading to England.

The Latest: Rutten rejects Man United move

As per The Metro on Sunday, Rutten has turned down the chance to join Ten Hag at United after holding talks with the 52-year-old.

He has instead agreed to join the coaching staff of former Red Devils striker Ruud van Nistelrooy at PSV Eindhoven ahead of the 2022/23 season.

The Verdict: Van der Gaag key?

Ten Hag was seemingly keen for Rutten to join him in England after talks, so this update is a big blow to the new United manager. However, Ten Hag’s current assistant Mitchell van der Gaag has been linked with following his boss to Old Trafford this summer, with Fabrizio Romano revealing that an agreement is now getting closer.

He has been described as an ‘important addition’, so hopefully the Red Devils manager will have better news when it comes to Van der Gaag as Ten Hag looks to get his backroom team confirmed ahead of the 2022/23 season.

Doing that will allow him to focus fully on new additions and who knows, he could ask Van der Gaag for his thoughts on potential signings, should a move go through.

In other news: Man Utd now leading race to sign star striker for Ten Hag in big deal

The Daily Mail journalist Craig Hope has dropped some worrying Newcastle United injury news involving Allan Saint-Maximin.

The Lowdown: Not in training

Saint-Maximin was not pictured in the latest set of training photos released from Darsley Park before their game at home to AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League over the weekend.

He has been out with a hamstring injury for the North East club’s last three matches in the top flight, and it now sounds as if he may be ruled out once again when they take on the Cherries.

The Latest: Saint-Maximin not expected to play

Taking to Twitter, Hope has revealed that Saint-Maximin is not expected to play against Bournemouth, as there are still concerns over his fitness:

“Newcastle still nursing a few fitness concerns heading into weekend. I don’t expect to see Saint-Maximin from what I’m hearing.”

The Verdict: Worrying

It is certainly worrying to hear that Saint-Maximin could miss yet another game for the Tynesiders, and that he is still not back in training.

He has been their best performer in the Premier League so far this season by average WhoScored rating, scoring one goal and making two assists in four matches, while also picking up one man-of-the-match award.

Nonetheless, the fact that he has not been selected for the France squad either for their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures suggests that his injury could be worse than initially expected, and so the Magpies will be praying that he has not suffered a setback in terms of his recovery.

Everton have suffered numerous injury issues over the last 18 months with the club tallying up the worst injury record in the Premier League last season, and now another blow to a key player has emerged.

What’s the latest?

The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope revealed an injury blow to Nathan Patterson who was stretchered off the pitch during last night’s Nations League clash between Scotland and Ukraine.

Hope tweeted the following during the encounter at Hampden Park:

“Bad news for Scotland (and Everton), right-back Nathan Patterson has been forced off with what looks like an ankle injury. He’s been v impressive for club & country. They’ve sent for a stretcher. #efc”

International break ruined

There is no doubt that Frank Lampard will be absolutely fuming with the news that another one of his players has potentially sustained a serious injury, especially a player who has been so influential in the team’s improved performances of late.

Patterson has become a first-team regular over the Premier League season so far after signing for the club back in January, and has so far become the Seamus Coleman heir Lampard could only have dreamt of.

The 20-year-old Scotsman who was dubbed “excellent” by his manager has been a standout performer in the Toffees team and is currently the sixth highest rated player (7.04) in the entire squad according to SofaScore.

Over seven league performances, Patterson has created one big chance, made 1.3 interceptions, four tackles, 2.7 clearances and won a whopping six duels per game, proving that he has been the defensive sensation that Everton have been crying out for and his hard work has translated into the results.

Everton are currently unbeaten in their last five outings with four draws and one win which will leave the Goodison Park faithful absolutely elated after such a traumatic last campaign, but the injury concerns are piling up yet again and Lampard will be hoping he has enough quality in the team to exercise some damage control.

Jordan Pickford, Yerry Mina, Ben Godfrey, Mason Holgate and Dominic Calvert-Lewin are all key players that have been sidelined with various injury issues over the season so far, and adding Patterson to that list will be a real knock to the starting line-up as he is clearly now a depended upon starter in the team.

With that being said, it remains to be seen how serious Patterson’s injury is as he will now go under assessment to see what the extent of the damage is. Lampard will be hoping that the young talent can recover quickly so he can be available for when the Premier League resumes next month. If he isn’t fit, it will very much be a ruined international break for the Toffees.

Tottenham Hotspur defender Joe Rodon, currently out on loan at Rennes, has been criticised by sections of the media for his displays in France.

The Lowdown: Rodon sets off…

The Wales international was never guaranteed consistent game time under manager Antonio Conte so a temporary move to Ligue 1 seemed a reasonable solution.

Before Rodon jetted off for Rennes, there were claims suggesting he was eager to seal a move away from north London so he can gain valuable minutes and further his development as a player.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is also merely months away so the 24-year-old will be looking to impress national team boss Robert Page with a steady string of solid performances, even if it’s away from the Premier League.

The Latest: Media criticise Rodon…

However, so far, things haven’t gone to plan for Rodon at Roazhon Park – at least going by the verdicts of French media outlets.

Indeed, a report by newspaper Ouest-France (via Sport Witness) suggested the centre-half needs to improve his game – criticising him for two major weaknesses and being at fault for Troyes’ goal in Rennes 1-1 draw on Sunday.

These two flaws of Rodon’s game are highlighted as being a consistent lack of ‘audacity’ and ‘precision’.

The Welshman was indeed one of the worst rated players in the Rennes XI at Troyes, winning no ground duels, making zero tackles and no interceptions (Sofascore).

The Verdict: Only way is up…

While French media have pointed out that Rodon’s start to life on loan has been challenging, we believe the young defender’s potential to improve is vast.

The former Swansea City star has excelled in Spurs’ own starting eleven before this point with former Lilywhites manager Jose Mourinho even calling him ‘perfect’.

Rodon will also be looking to get back to tip-top form before Qatar and his redemption may well soon begin.