Southampton
Aston Villa keen on signing 26-year-old with 15 goal contributions before pre-season – report
Aston Villa are eager to land the signature of Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse before the beginning of pre-season, Football Insider reports. The Midlands outfit had an impressive 2020/21 Premier League campaign, finishing 11th in the standings with 55 points on the board. The focus is now on pushing for the European places, and the club have already shown ambition in the transfer market this summer. They recently beat Arsenal to the signing of Emiliano Buendia after agreeing to a club-record deal with Norwich City, which could rise to £38 million. It is now reported that the club’s owners are prepared to back manager Dean Smith with additional funds to strengthen the squad. Villa have their sights on Ward-Prowse and are looking to sign him before pre-season so that he can familiarise...
Southampton and Norwich City leading race to sign 24-year-old with 34 goal contributions last term
Southampton and Norwich City are leading the race to sign Blackburn Rovers striker Adam Armstrong this summer, Football Insider reports. Armstrong had a superb 2020/21 campaign for Rovers, registering 29 goals and five assists from 43 appearances across all competitions. He was recently rewarded for his efforts with the Championship PFA fans’ Player of the Year award, beating the likes of Emiliano Buendia and Ivan Toney. Armstrong will enter the final year of his Rovers deal next month, and it is reported that they are willing to sell him for £15 million rather than losing him for free next summer. Owners Venky’s previously slapped a £25m price tag on his head, but it appears they may be willing to do business for less due to his contract status. Sportslens view: The Saints currently have ...
Report: PL rival eye move for in-demand Liverpool ace on loan this summer
Southampton are looking to bolster their defence this summer. According to reports from The Hampshire Live, the Saints are looking to strengthen in four key areas this summer, and adding depth in the full-back areas is one of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s top priorities. He has demanded the club provide him with more depth and quality ahead of the new season. The report claims that Southampton are looking to bolster the left-back, right-back, wide-midfield and forward region in the summer transfer window, but the Saints are operating on a tight budget. An expert from the article: “Elsewhere, Saints are interested in a number of other full-back options with Hasenhuttl likely to use one of his two Premier League loan spots to provide Walker-Peters and Perraud, should Saints land him, wi...
Aston Villa make approach for Premier League ace with 16 goal contributions
Aston Villa recently completed the signing of Emiliano Buendia for a club-record fee from Norwich City. According to Football Insider, Dean Smith is not satisfied with his midfield options, and the Midlands club have now made an approach for Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse. The Villa manager is unimpressed with Morgan Sanson’s performances, and Douglas Luiz’s long term future is also unclear. Ward-Prowse has been a reliable Premier League midfielder in recent years, and he could prove to be a quality addition to Smith’s squad. The 26-year-old is an excellent passer and lethal from set-pieces. His arrival would add a new dimension to Villa’s attack. The West Midlands club have an excellent dribbler in Jack Grealish, who tends to win numerous free-kicks, and Ward-Prowse could benefit. H...
Tottenham Hotspur open to offloading £30m-rated star, Southampton monitoring him – report
Tottenham Hotspur are prepared to sanction the sale of midfielder Harry Winks during the summer transfer window, Football Insider reports. Fabio Paratici is due to become the club’s new sporting director this week, and he is expected to handle the transfer proceedings. Spurs are yet to announce their next head coach, but it is reported that Winks will be shown the exit door in the coming weeks. Winks had a difficult 2020/21 campaign with the north London club, managing just 860 minutes of Premier League action. Spurs want around £30 million for him, but could be willing to accept less. Southampton are keeping tabs on the midfielder. While Winks would prefer to stay with the club, it is suggested that he could move on in the quest for regular first-team football. Sportslens view: Winks was ...
West Ham keen on 29-yr-old midfielder, but face competition from another PL club
Sassuolo midfielder Filip Duricic is a target for Southampton and West Ham United this summer. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Italian club have already received offers for the 29-year-old. The Serbian attacking midfielder has just one year left on his current contract with the Italian club. Duricic previously played for Saints on loan in the Premier League in 2016 but is keen on staying in Italy beyond this summer. The Sassuolo star picked up five goals and four assists in Serie A this past season, and he could prove to be a useful addition to Southampton or West Ham. Both teams could use more depth in the attacking department, and they will be eager to lure the Serbian away from Italy for a reasonable price. Duricic will be a free agent next summer, and Sassuolo are under pressure t...
Southampton reveal transfer stance on James Ward-Prowse amid Aston Villa interest – report
Southampton have made their stance clear on club captain James Ward-Prowse amid interest from Aston Villa, The Mail reports. The Villans are eager to complete their transfer business early, and they are on the verge of landing Norwich City playmaker Emiliano Buendia on a club-record deal. It was recently claimed that they could follow the purchase of Buendia with a surprise move for England international Ward-Prowse. However, the Saints have made it clear that their graduate is not for sale at any price during this summer’s transfer window. Sportslens view: The Saints sanctioned the sale of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to Tottenham Hotspur last year, and they failed to find a suitable replacement. They didn’t have much choice as the Dane’s contract was due to expire in 12 months. The same is not ...
Report: After agreeing £30m deal, Villa turn attention towards signing 26 y/o int’l
Aston Villa are making some smart moves this summer. Villa pulled off a huge coup this week after agreeing a club-record £30 million-plus deal to sign Emiliano Buendía from Norwich City. Dean Smith is keen to secure his targets quickly as Villa prepare for another season in the Premier League. If Buendia’s move to Villa Park isn’t already enough to shake the fan base, the latest transfer update from The Guardian will undoubtedly keep the fans excited. Paul Doyle writes that Villa are set to make a move for Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse in the next few days. It clearly shows that Ward-Prowse is not someone who Villa are just looking at but are planning to sign him with a concrete offer. The report claims that Villa are keen to bolster their midfield and have ...
Leeds and Newcastle in the race to sign €15m-rated ace with 10 goal contributions
Leeds United and Newcastle United are interested in signing the Brest defender Romain Perraud. According to L’Equipe (via GFFN), Southampton are apparently leading the chase to sign the 23-year-old who could cost around €15 million this summer. The defender has a contract with the French outfit until the summer of 2025 and his suitors will have to pay the asking price if they want to sign him this summer. The French outfit are under no pressure to sell the 23-year-old and they can afford to demand a premium. Southampton need to sign a quality replacement for Ryan Bertrand and Perraud certainly fits the bill. Leeds could definitely use a quality left-back signing especially with Ezgjan Alioski set to leave the club when his contract expires later this summer. Meanwhile, Newcastle Unite...
Report: Villa keen to sign 25-year-old PL midfielder, face competition from Everton
A host of Premier League clubs are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek this summer. Thomas Tuchel wants to strengthen his side with at least four to five new signings. The European champions are reportedly looking to sign a striker, a centre-back, a centre midfielder and a wing-back. The Blues are set to offload several fringe players, with Tammy Abraham, Emerson, Ross Barkley, and Olivier Giroud amongst the players who could be on their way. According to the Daily Mail, Loftus-Cheek could be sold this summer. The 25-year-old midfielder has a contract at the club until 2024. However, another loan move is “not on the cards” for the powerful midfielder. Tuchel wants to offload him permanently, with Aston Villa, Southampton and Everton all previously credited...
Euro 2020: Gareth Southgate invites Bukayo Saka, 24 others
Gareth Southgate hit back at the critics after selecting Trent Alexander-Arnold for England’s Euro 2020 squad as the Three Lions boss admitted Harry Maguire is a doubt for the opener against Croatia. Alexander-Arnold had to endure a nervous wait before learning he had made the cut after spending much of the season out of favour with Southgate. The 22-year-old was left out of Southgate’s England squad for their World Cup qualifiers in March. But Alexander-Arnold’s strong end to the season with Liverpool convinced Southgate to restore the right-back to his squad. Alexander-Arnold responded to his selection by tweeting: “Always believe in yourself. Silence the doubters.” Irritated by the inaccurate pre-announcement reports that he would drop Alexander-Arnold, Southgate insisted he never lost ...
Gareth Southgate reveals final England squad for Euro 2020
Gareth Southgate has released his 26-man squad for this summer’s European Championships. The England boss initially named a provisional 33-man squad on May 25, with several players involved in major European finals or carrying injuries. He has now cut seven players from the provisional squad, leaving 26 who will play for the Three Lions at Euro 2020. Much of the debate over the squad has been surrounding Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was excluded from the last squad in March. However, Southgate has recalled the youngster. It was confirmed earlier today that Mason Greenwood had pulled out of the squad due to an underlying injury concern. Now, it has been revealed that the other six omitted from the squad are Aaron Ramsdale, Ben White, Ben Godfrey, Jesse Lingard, James Ward-Prowse ...
