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Liverpool have been hit with a huge blow as it was revealed last month that Sadio Mane wants to leave Anfield this summer, and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on the ongoing situation.

What’s the latest?

Italian journalist and transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed an update on the back and forth between Liverpool and Bayern Munich over their intentions to agree on a deal for Mane, with two bids from the Bundesliga giants already rejected by the Merseyside club.

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Romano took to his YouTube channel to reveal: “The position of the player has not changed.

“Bayern already had two bids refused by Liverpool for Sadio Mane, but from what I’m told today [Sunday], Bayern are preparing a new bid for Sadio Mane and the feeling around the deal is that the positions of Bayern and Liverpool in the negotiations are getting closer and closer.

“Bayern are really close to completing the signing of Sadio Mane.”

Supporters will be upset

There is no doubt that Liverpool supporters will be upset at the news that Mane’s time at Anfield is coming to an end when you consider the huge part he has played in the club’s recent success over his six years at the club.

Mane has scored 120 goals and delivered 48 assists since joining in 2016, with a goal contribution every 128 minutes which has led the side to win a Premier League title, Champions League, Carabao Cup and FA Cup during his time in the team.

The Senegalese winger’s success with Liverpool has seen his market value soar over the years, with Transfermarkt valuing the player at just £27m in August 2016 rising to £135m in December 2019 and is currently set at £72m, however the club are now reportedly willing to sell the player in the last 12 months of his contract for £42.5m.

That’s another cause for concern with the club clearly not being able to fetch a price that fairly matches his abilities.

Despite the player becoming a fan favourite and dubbed a “Liverpool legend” by Gabby Agbonlahor, the club has already made massive strides in finding a player who can replace Mane’s goal contributions in the team with the signing of Darwin Nunez reportedly set to be announced today.

With that being said, it will obviously be a big disappointment to see the Liverpool attacker leave this summer but the fact that FSG are identifying ways to replace him will be a massive relief to supporters ahead of next season.

AND in other news: Klopp can land his next Coutinho as Liverpool eye bid for “magical” £117k-p/w dynamo

A Sky Sports journalist has shared a ‘positive’ update for Derby County fans regarding the takeover of the club.

The Lowdown: Kirchner withdraws offer

The newly-relegated League One side are currently on the hunt for a new owner after it was revealed earlier this week that initial preferred bidder, American businessman Chris Kirchner, had officially withdrawn his offer to buy the Rams after failing to meet a deadline set by administrators Quantuma.

There was fears that this would mean a case of going back to square one and into the unknown for the Rams, but following a new update, there is yet again optimism that a deal will be able to be completed thanks to a potential new suitor.

The Latest: Sky share ‘positive’ development

Sharing a fresh ‘development’, Sky presenter and journalist Julian Warren gave Derby supporters some ‘positive’ news after the ordeal with Kirchner when speaking live on Sky Sports News.

Warren confirmed that former Wolves owner Steve Morgan has renewed his interest in buying the club and is currently in negotiations over a possible takeover. The bid has been described to Sky as ‘credible’.

The Verdict: Long-term stability

With less than two months until the start of the new season, Wayne Rooney will need as much clarity and financial backing as possible as he prepares his players for life in the third tier.

Morgan would be the ideal candidate to rescue the Rams after giving Wolves plenty of long-term stability when he took charge at Molineux, having bought the club for £10m before overseeing the Wanderers’ promotion to the Premier League.

Hopefully, the 69-year-old will be able to bring that same kind of safety net to Pride Park if a deal finally manages to get done, giving all associated with Derby a bit more hope for a brighter future.

As per German newspaper Stuttgart Nachrichten, via Inside Futbol, some big Tottenham Hotspur transfer news has come to light as they step up the chase for Sasa Kalajdzic.

The Lowdown: Conte in striker chase…

Spurs manager Antonio Conte has his eyes on a new striker to partner or back up striker Harry Kane with consistent links surrounding the likes of Man City star Gabriel Jesus.

This comes after the Lilywhites confirmed both Ivan Perisic and Fraser Forster’s arrivals on Bosman deals, but now the transfer window is officially open, club chief Fabio Paratici can start making more big-time moves.

Jesus isn’t the only forward on Spurs’ radar as some news from the continent emerges concerning VFB Stuttgart striker Kalajdzic.

The Latest: Spurs step up Kalajdzic bid…

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According to Stuttgart Nachrichten (via IF), the north Londoners, and by extension Conte, are ‘stepping up’ their attempts to sign the Austria international as they push for a move.

It is believed that the Premier League giants are ‘intensifying efforts’ for Kalajdzic as Spurs seemingly up the ante in their chase for a striker transfer.

The Verdict: Get it done?

This report claims the 24-year-old would only cost around €25 million (£21m) to sign this window, an arguably affordable fee for Spurs and Paratici.

Described as an ‘Ibrahimovic-machine‘, you could argue Kalajdzic’s physicality is almost tailor-made for English football given his quite staggering 6 foot 6 frame.

He’s also scored a solid 22 goals in 48 Bundesliga appearances, a record which arguably could be better if Stuttgart’s star didn’t spend half of 2021/2022 sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Kalajdzic may well be one to keep an eye on over the summer.

In other news: Tottenham make contact as they ‘world-class signing’ for Conte! Find out more here! 

At least three Premier League clubs are interested in signing Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Adama Traore this summer, according to a report from 90min. 

The lowdown: Out of favour star

Once a fan favourite, Traore has fallen dramatically down the pecking order under Bruno Lage and was sent out on loan to Barcelona in January.

Included in the temporary switch was an option for the Catalan club to make the deal permanent, although it’s believed officials at the Camp Nou aren’t willing to sanction the move after just two assists in 11 La Liga outings.

Now, as a return to Molineux looms large, Traore’s ongoing future in the Midlands remains in serious doubt…

The latest: Wanted man

As per 90min, Newcastle United, Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur are all keen on the 26-year-old Spaniard.

It’s claimed that Wolves will ‘focus on trying to offload Traore for good’ this summer and it seems inevitable that the powerful wide-man ‘will still leave’ the club in the near future.

The report states that Newcastle and Leeds have ‘previously enquired’ about the man recently hailed as ‘unstoppable’ by journalist Ronald Morgan following a standout Europa League display against Napoli containing two assists.

The verdict: Cash in

With only 29 direct goal involvements in 154 outings, having often flattered to deceive in an Old Gold shirt, the Spanish speedster has been usurped by the likes of Pedro Neto, Daniel Podence and more recently Chiquinho in the Molineux pecking order.

Following just one goal and four assists in 40 appearances across all competitions in 2021/22, that’s a situation that seems unlikely to change in the near future as Lage asks ownership group Fosun for the funds to strengthen the ranks accordingly.

Under contract until 2023 and valued at £25.2million (Transfermarkt), the Wolves hierarchy must still demand a large fee for Traore that would bolster the coffers available to Lage this summer, particularly as the powerful eight-cap ace seemingly remains awash with major interest.

In other news, Wolves have received a transfer boost regarding one player. Find out who it is here.

Everton are reportedly now eyeing up a move to sign Valentin Castellanos this summer.

The Lowdown: Striker worries

Both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison have been linked with a move away from Goodison Park this summer, meaning that they may have to hunt for a new striker this window.

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It is not a surprise that Casetllanos is on their radar, having scored 11 goals and made a further five assists in total in just 17 games over all competitions so far this season for New York City (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Castellanos eyed

As per Tuttomercatoweb, the Merseyside club, as well as Newcastle United and Serie A side Bologna, are all now eyeing a move for Castellanos.

He has already rejected a proposal to stay in the United States, and is looking for a new club in Europe.

The Verdict: Sign

It looks unlikely that the Toffees will be able to keep both Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison after the relegation battle that they were involved in, and so Castellanos could turn out to be a smart buy.

He has a huge admirer in Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who has branded him a ‘quality player‘, while he has also been hailed as a ‘top class‘ centre-forward by his own boss Ronny Deila.

MLS expert and co-host of the MLS UK Show podcast Henry Hewitt has even gone as far as to dub him the ‘new Didier Drogba’, so he seems bound to hit the ground running in the Premier League.

In other news, find out which ‘outstanding’ leader EFC are now favourites to sign here!

Wolves are interested in signing Rangers defender Calvin Bassey in the summer, according to a new transfer report.

The Lowdown: Bassey superb in European showpiece

The Gers were beaten on penalties by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final on Wednesday night, but Bassey was immense for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team in Seville.

The 22-year-old made three interceptions and two tackles on the night and his overall performance was described as ‘astonishing’ by Owen Hargreaves.

It now looks as though Bassey could potentially leave Rangers this summer, with interest in his signature emerging.

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The Latest: Wolves eye up summer move for Bassey

According to The Daily Record, Wolves are one of the clubs who are keen on signing the Nigerian, although they will face competition from 2022/23 Premier League rivals.

London duo Fulham and Brentford are also mentioned in the conversation, although it would take a ‘club record’ sale from Rangers to prise him away from Ibrox.

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The Verdict: He’d be a great addition

Bassey looks like a great young prospect, making 26 starts in the Premiership starts this season and averaged 1.6 tackles per game in Rangers’ run to the Europa League final.

For that reason, he is certainly someone that Wolves should consider signing, with his ability to play at both centre-back and left-back also making him a versatile option.

Bassey’s outstanding display in a huge game against Eintracht Frankfurt was proof that he can deliver on the big stage, and with Romain Saiss moving on at the end of the season, he could be a tailor-made replacement at the heart of Bruno Lage’s defence.

In other news, Wolves have received a significant transfer boost. Read more here.

Rangers ended their season in joyous fashion as the Glasgow giants lifted the Scottish Cup with a 2-0 win at Hampden Park on Saturday.

Gio van Bronckhorst’s men dug in deep to overcome the disappointment of their Europa League final defeat to win a trophy, as goals from Ryan Jack and Scott Wright in extra time sealed the win.

The initial 90 minutes were cagey from both teams as they struggled to create any clear-cut chances of note, aside from a Joe Aribo strike which was well-saved by Craig Gordon.

Jack then gave Rangers the lead two minutes into extra-time as he produced a sensational strike from the edge of the penalty box which cannoned into the back of the Hearts net off the crossbar.

Wright, who also came off the bench, then made sure of the result a couple of minutes later as he latched onto a pass from Ryan Kent and buried the ball into the bottom corner of Gordon’s net.

Whilst Jack sparked the Light Blues into life, and ultimately won the cup with his sublime goal in the 94th minute, the real Scottish Cup final hero for the Gers was full-back Calvin Bassey.

Bassey was Rangers’ real hero

After catching the eye with an excellent performance against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final at centre-back, the 22-year-old was moved to left-back against Hearts and was absolutely outstanding from start to finish.

Scotland women’s international Joelle Murray described his display as “phenomenal”, while The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell also heaped praise on the defender during the game.

He tweeted: “Bassey has been outstanding again here, this time at left back. A few brilliant crosses first half and already a couple of runs down the outside since the break. It’s like he now fully appreciates just how much of a physical advantage he has over most opponents.”

As Campbell highlighted, the Nigeria international kept breaking way on the outside of defenders and got joy down the left flank. He produced two magnificent crosses into the box in regular time as he teed up Joe Aribo and Amad Diallo, only for both players to miss with their head. He also had an effort of his own which required a save from Gordon.

Bassey kept the Hearts attackers at bay and added an attacking threat with his own play as he put together a complete performance for Van Bronckhorst, further enhancing his growing reputation at Ibrox.

Therefore, the full-back was the real hero of the day as he put in a sublime display from minute one to 120 as he bombed up and down the left flank non-stop throughout the match.

AND in other news, Ross Wilson plotting Rangers swoop for 16 y/o “teen talent”, GvB will be buzzing…

Rangers’ swashbuckling Europa League campaign came to a heart-breaking end last night as they lost to Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties in Seville.

Joe Aribo put Van Bronckhorst’s side ahead after 57 minutes only for Frankfurt to equalise 12 minutes later.

After 90 minutes followed by extra time, the scoreline stayed the same, leading to the penalty shootout which the German side conquered and ultimately won the trophy.

Despite the valiant efforts from van Bronckhorst’s players, one figure, in particular, failed to show up and deliver when it really mattered and let his manager down as a result.

Starting on the right-wing, 24-year-old Scott Wright failed to deliver the sort of performance that is required to win a top European final.

With just 24 touches of the ball and 11 passes made, the winger ended up having fewer touches than Gers goalkeeper Allan McGregor (51).

In those 24 touches, the Scotsman barely had any attacking or defensive input on the game before he was taken off by Van Bronckhorst at the 74th-minute mark to be replaced by Fashion Sakala.

From an attacking point of view, the winger failed to register even one shot at goal as well as failing to make one cross or successful dribble attempt.

In a defensive regard, as well as not making even one tackle or interception in addition to only winning 33% of the duels he was involved in, he arguably could have done more to prevent the cross coming in that led to Frankfurt’s goal.

This display ultimately earned Wright an underwhelming overall match rating of 6.5/10 from SofaScore, making him the lowest-rated Rangers player that started the game.

Sky Sports also picked up on his disappointing performance by saying that he “didn’t overly trouble the Frankfurt defence,” as well as saying that he “had to do better to stop the cross for the equaliser.”

Taking all of this into account, while the blame for the defeat should not solely be laid at Wright’s feet, everyone connected to the club would have undoubtedly been hoping that he could have had more of an impact during his time on the pitch.

With the Ibrox side now having just one more chance to get their hands on some silverware this season when they take on Hearts in the final of the Scottish Cup on Saturday, a big question will have now emerged over whether the Rangers boss decides to start Wright again or not.

In other news: Forget Aribo: “Astonishing” 93-touch Rangers gem who “eats up ground” was the standout

Sunderland are interested in Birmingham City starlet Jobe Bellingham, the younger brother of Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham. 

The lowdown

The younger Bellingham still plays for Birmingham City, where his sibling made also made his breakthrough. Dortmund agreed a fee that could rise beyond £30million to recruit Jude from St Andrew’s, and the Blues even retired the player’s number 22 shirt.

Jobe, 16, made his Championship debut against Preston in January and also played the final half-hour on the last day of the season against Blackburn Rovers.

An attacking midfielder who can also play out wide, he too has been linked with Dortmund.

The latest

The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope broke the transfer news on Monday as Sunderland ‘explore [an] ambitious move’ for Bellingham.

They apparently ‘invited’ the player and his family to the Stadium of Light for a ‘recent home game’.

Hope stresses that Sunderland will win have to win promotion to the Championship for the deal to be viable.

The verdict

Bellingham’s first-team chances have been limited, but he’s underlined his potential at youth level.

He’s scored five goals in nine matches in the Under-18 Premier League, and that’s helped to earn him 13 appearances at Under-23 level, as well as eight caps for England’s U17s. (via Transfermarkt).

Tellingly, he’s already valued at £450,000 even though he’s still so young and has barely featured at the senior level.

Can Sunderland compete if top clubs like Dortmund are sniffing around too? Well, they may have a key advantage.

As Hope points out, sporting director Kristjaan Speakman was previously the academy director at Birmingham and enjoys a close relationship with the player’s parents – Mark and Denise Bellingham – given the role he played in Jude’s development.

Sunderland hope that this connection will be key.

In other news, The Black Cats risk losing this key figure. 

Aston Villa are planning to offer forward Jesse Lingard a contract this summer with the 29-year-old set to leave Manchester United next month as a free agent upon the expiry of his contract.

What’s the story?

According to reports, via Birmingham Live, the Englishman is a summer target for Villa as Steven Gerrard looks to bolster his squad in his first summer transfer window in charge of the West Midlands club.

Lingard had enjoyed an excellent half-season on loan at West Ham United last season where he scored nine goals and registered five assists in 16 appearances and was labelled as “phenomenal” by TalkSPORT’s Adrian Durham.

However, since returning to United, the 29-year-old has been offered little game time under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, starting just twice in the Premier League.

Villa must sign Lingard

Despite a cruel end to a long Manchester United career, there is no doubt that Lingard is still a talented Premier League winger.

Villa could still finish as high as seventh and as low as 15th meaning that their final four matches will be vital in deciding what sort of a proposition they will be to players they look to sign over the summer.

What is for certain though is that Gerrard will be looking for extra quality from out wide with neither big money signings Emi Buendia (£38m) nor Leon Bailey (£25m) making the desired impact at Villa Park.

Buendia has shown glimpses of brilliance but has scored just three goals in the Premier League this term, alongside registering six assists.

As for Bailey, the Jamaican’s first season in England has been injury-hit and thus the winger has managed to start just seven league matches.

Both were brought in in the attempt to replace the goal contributions of Jack Grealish who departed for Manchester City. However, Lingard alone could potentially come close.

In his final season as a Villa player, Grealish scored seven goals and registered 12 assists in 27 appearances. That averages at a goal contribution every 1.42 matches whilst at West Ham, Lingard’s average was slightly better at 1.14.

Moreover, on a free transfer, signing the £80k-per-week ace would be a bargain given his talent and experience. It would certainly make sense for Villa to swoop for the winger.

AND in other news: Lange now plotting AVFC bid for “brilliant” £15m destroyer, could be bye-bye Sanson