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Wolves may conclude their transfer window with a bang as the Old Gold begin to make strides to improving their first-team options.

They are in the market to sign another striker while a further centre-back could arrive before the deadline slams shut next week.

What’s the word?

Bruno Lage appears to be desperate to bring in a new centre-half in the closing days of the window with a multitude of players linked in the last few weeks.

They were eyeing deals for Takehiro Tomiyasu at Bologna and Nikola Milenkovic at Fiorentina but they are incredibly unlikely now.

Instead, they’re looking at finalising a deal for Marseille defender Duje Caleta-Car.

That’s according to Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas who took to Twitter on Wednesday evening. He said: “Wolves have an interest in Duje Caleta-Car at Marseille but face an uphill task to convince him to join. He wants to keep playing in Europe.”

Much-needed

One of the biggest issues for Wolves last season was undoubtedly their defence.

During a period between October and February, the team led by Nuno Santo managed to keep just two clean sheets in 14 straight matches.

Defensive mistakes riddled their team with Romain Saiss in particular struggling. Various injuries to star centre-back Willy Boly also didn’t help their cause.

Boly has spent the early parts of this season out injured while new signing Yerson Mosquera is also on the treatment table.

Consequently, Wolves’ options in their preferred three-man backline are extremely limited.

Caleta-Car, therefore, would not only give them more depth but he’d also provide them with an immense dose of quality. On that basis, supporters should be extremely excited that they want to sign the Croatian.

The 24-year-old is one of the most promising centre-backs in Europe and has developed well in French football.

Last season his pass success rate was north of 86% while he also won 2.5 aerial duels per match. If you compare that to every defender at Wolves, he fits right into their preferred make-up.

Only Conor Coady and Max Kilman had a better pass completion percentage while only Boly and Saiss were more prolific in aerial battles.

As a consequence, Lage must do his utmost to bring the Croat to Molineux this summer. Supporters would surely be elated at having another option in their defence.

AND in other news, Wolves make offer to sign £17m “phenomenon” before deadline day, Lage needs him…

Former Newcastle United star Steve Howey insists that the club have done well to hand midfielder Joe Willock a six-year contract after signing him on a permanent deal.

Willock enjoyed a spectacular loan spell at the club last season, after moving from the Gunners in the January transfer window.

In total, the midfielder made 14 appearances in the Premier League for the Magpies at the back end of last season and scored eight goals.

Newcastle paid £25m to bring the player into the club on a permanent basis and he has signed a six-year contract at St James’ Park.

Howey believes that Newcastle have protected themselves in terms of big clubs potentially making bids to sign Willock if he thrives during his stay at St James’ Park.

However, he is somewhat doubtful about the potential of Willock downing tools if bids come in while he is only midway through his contract.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Howey said: “I think the club might be thinking, hopefully, and I’m the same, he does absolutely brilliant. If he does brilliantly, they can either keep him or nine times out of ten, what would tend to happen is he would go to what’s classed as one of the other bigger clubs and at least Newcastle have got him tied down for a period of time.

“He’s signed a contract, he’s happy with the contract that he’s signed, as long as you don’t get a player that spits his dummy out and downs tools, because that’s happened in the past with some players, ultimately you’ve got a contract, you’ve got to try to honour that.”

Leeds United are not under threat of being relegated to the Championship, according to former top flight striker Kevin Campbell.

The Lowdown: Leeds make poor start

Marcelo Bielsa’s side are still without a win in their opening six Premier League games this season, losing and drawing three apiece to date.

Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at home to West Ham was the latest disappointing result, with the Whites a pale imitation of the side who thrived so much in 2020/21.

Leeds are now sitting 18th in the table and in the relegation zone, leading to fears that they face a battle to remain in the division.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359346″]

The Latest: Campbell bullish about Whites

Someone who isn’t concerned in the slightest about relegation is Sky Sports regular Campbell, however, who told Football Insider that Bielsa’s men will come good:

“Look, the second season is always the most difficult for a club like Leeds. Last season teams don’t know what it’s like to play against them. Teams can scheme against them now and that is why life is a lot more difficult for them.

“The wins aren’t coming at the moment. The team might have to up it one or two per cent more to get the results they need.

“I wouldn’t say Leeds and relegation in the same sentence at the moment, definitely not. They have too much quality in their team. To tell you the truth, I really think they will be alright.

“One thing we know about them is that they go right to the end. They have great team spirit. When the winter schedule begins I think they will start picking up points. The way they play will stretch quite a few teams.”

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The Verdict: Too early to panic

There is certainly reason for negativity at Leeds currently, but it is also important that there isn’t an overreaction to this slump.

We are still only six matches into a 38-game season and there is no reason why one positive result can’t turn Leeds’ fortunes around, perhaps starting against Watford at Elland Road on Saturday.

It would be a huge shock if they were relegated this season, with Bielsa too good a manager and the team showing too much ability last term for that to be a worry on the agenda right now.

In other news, Phil Hay has made a claim regarding Marcelo Bielsa. Read more here.

According to Sport, Barcelona forward Martin Braithwaite now ‘prefers’ to join Tottenham Hotspur this summer and is ‘among the favourites’ to possibly replace Harry Kane if he leaves.

The Lowdown: Spurs in striker hunt amid Kane drama…

Tottenham managing director Fabio Paratici has his sights set on strengthening new boss Nuno Espirito Santo’s forward options before the start of 2021/2022.

In the last few weeks alone, Spurs have been linked with a fair few strikers in Dusan Vlahovic, Simy and even Lautaro Martinez.

This comes amid question marks surrounding the future of superstar Harry Kane as Manchester City continue to push for his signature.

The Latest: Braithwaite ‘prefers’ to join Spurs…

Bringing the latest on Tottenham’s search for a new forward, Sport believe that Denmark international Braithwaite ‘prefers’ to join the Lilywhites over London rivals West Ham.

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It is believed the possible departure of Kane would allow Spurs to sign two new strikers with the 30-year-old listed as a possible candidate to replace their star man if he were to leave.

Sport even claim that Braithwaite is ‘among the favourites’ to succeed Kane and he has asked for more time to consider his future, especially considering the option of a move to Spurs ‘attracts him much more’ than the Irons.

The Verdict: Avoid…

The 56-cap international has apparently restored his reputation in England following a solid Euro 2020 campaign, but we’d advise Spurs to avoid Braithwaite as a favourite to succeed Kane in the event of his departure.

He scored just two goals in 11 La Liga starts for Barcelona last season, leaving little wonder they are desperate to get him off the wage bill.

Braithwaite’s age also indicates that Tottenham stand to gain little to no sell-on value from his signing.

If he is to sign, it should be in support of either Kane or a superstar replacement, not as the replacement himself.

In other news: ‘Yes yes yes’, ‘Buzzing’, ‘Game changer’…Tottenham fans erupt as ‘beautiful’ news confirmed, find out more here.

Crystal Palace have reportedly received an offer from Süper Lig outfit Trabzonspor for their versatile midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate.

What’s the story?

According to Turkish news outlet Sabah (as reported by the Evening Standard), talks are thought to be underway over a move that could be worth around £4m.

The report states that Trabzonspor want a player who can operate in central midfield and defence, meaning Kouyate fits the bill perfectly following last season’s exploits. Patrick Vieira will be fuming

News that the Palace hierarchy are thought to be negotiating Kouyate’s potential exit will surely leave new manager Patrick Vieira fuming.

The Senegal international was one of the south London outfit’s standout performers last season, filling in at centre-back on several occasions due to his teammates picking up a string of injury issues – as per Whoscored, he finished as the joint-ninth best player in terms of average match rating for Palace.

And the experienced 31-year-old could play a crucial part for Palace next term as well.

Following the departures of Gary Cahill, Mamadou Sakho, Scott Dann and James McCarthy following the expiration of their contract last month, the Eagles’ spine is looking extremely threadbare.

Kouyate has showcased his ability and potential to play in multiple positions, providing Vieira with cover and competitions through the centre of the pitch.

Since arriving at Selhurst Park back in August 2018, the £65k-per-week monster has established himself as a regular in the capital club’s starting XI.

Despite only bagging two goals and providing four assists in 110 appearances for Palace, Kouyate has made a significant contribution to their success, and chairman Steve Parish must keep hold of him this summer.

Letting an experienced, versatile, proven Premier League performer depart when Vieira is set to oversee a potentially tricky transitional period could prove to be a disastrous decision.

The club’s chief must be careful not to change the playing squad too quickly over the next couple of years, and Kouyate’s presence would add some stability and familiarity to a fast-changing environment.

And, in other news…Journalist provides exciting Palace transfer update that’ll leave Eagles fans buzzing

Wolverhampton Wanderers youngster Austin Samuels is headed for Oldham Athletic on loan, according to Adam Millington.

The lowdown

The 20-year-old has yet to make his senior debut for Wolves but does have experience at first team level, having spent the first half of the 2020/21 season on loan at League Two outfit Bradford City.

He was limited to six league starts, and his only goal for the Bantams came in a 7-0 FA Cup victory over Tonbridge. Wolves opted to cut the loan short in January.

Samuels has netted a total of 29 goals for Wanderers at under-18 and under-23 level. After he scored twice in a 4-0 win over Newcastle under-23s in April, coach James Collins hailed him as “excellent” and noted the “poacher’s’ instinct” he had displayed.

Samuels featured for the first team as a late substitute in a 1-0 friendly defeat against Crewe Alexandra on 17 July.

The latest

Millington tweeted: “I understand that #wwfc’s Austin Samuels is set to join #oafc on loan.

“Pacy striker who signed a contract extension with Wolves in the summer. Spent some of last season on loan at Bradford City.”

Prior to the contract extension that Millington noted, Samuels’ deal had been due to expire at the end of the season.

The verdict

The key for Samuels is to force his way into the starting line up. It’s far harder to build rhythm and make an impact when limited to runouts from the bench, which was often his lot at Bradford.

Wolves will also hope that he can find the net in more competitive fixtures against high-calibre opposition, with his only previous senior goal coming against a National League side.

If his goal return is minimal, then it’s very hard to see him making a breakthrough at Molineux despite his strong form at youth level. Samuels could face a pivotal spell at Oldham over the months ahead as he seeks to prove himself to his parent club.

In other news, these Wolves fans react to the possibility of a £45m exit from Molineux.

Manchester City fans want to sign Cristiano Ronaldo this summer after it was suggested the Portuguese striker has been offered to the Citizens.

Despite possessing a squad full of talent and recently adding Jack Grealish (mancity.com) to their plethora of attacking options, it has not been the best start to the campaign for City this term.

They lost the Community Shield against Leicester City and they followed that up with a 1-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on the opening matchday of the Premier League season.

In a shock report, the Corriere dello Sport (via Marca) has suggested £40.5m-valued Ronaldo (Transfermarkt) has been offered to the Etihad Stadium outfit. While the 36-year-old may be approaching the end of his career, he has still managed 101 goals in 133 games for Juventus (Transfermarkt), showing he still has plenty of his legendary ability.

The news was shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and it attracted plenty of attention from the City supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“PLEASEEEEEEEEE”

Credit: @ZinnySZN

“Yes him over Kane easy. plus a pen scorer”

Credit: @JrJrjuniorsjr1

“IMAGINE THE SCENES ‘Welcome back to Manchester’”

Credit: @Puttci0

“you love to see it”

Credit: @TomWoods_

“Imagine the goals he’d get with KDB behind him”

Credit: @JesusRole

“As much as I call him Penaldo, he is exactly what we need. Someone to just stay in the box and be at the end of crosses. His movements are probably amongst the greatest ever. The only concern would be his pressing.”

Credit: @RDragon7l

In other news, Man City fans slammed this man against Spurs.

Wolves winger Adama Traore will probably cost £35-40m this summer, journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast.

Traore has been heavily linked with a move away from Molineux, with Chelsea thought to be one team currently circling.

According to The Athletic, the west London club have an interest in the 25-year-old, who could give Thomas Tuchel the kind of attacking threat down the right flank he is looking for.

Traore has just two years left on his contract, so this could be Wolves’ last opportunity to make good money off of the Spaniard.

When asked by FFC how much Wolves could sell him for, Hatfield of the Express & Star said:

“His contract makes it murky, doesn’t it? I’d say probably a similar amount to [Ruben] Neves, 35, maybe £40m.

“He’s a young player, so he can still improve. But the contract situation, as I said, makes it murky.”

It is not the £80m price tag that has floated around in the past, but selling Traore for half of that would still be good business from a financial point of view.

Wolves signed Traore for £18m from Middlesbrough back in 2018 after meeting a release clause in his contract, so the Midlands club would still obviously be making a profit.

As per GiveMeSport, Everton and West Ham are two of the sides interested in luring Glasgow Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara away from Ibrox this summer.

The Lowdown: Kamara in demand

Kamara has spent the last month on international duty with Finland at Euro 2020, but that has not stopped there being plenty of interest in his services.

Arsenal and Leeds United (TEAMtalk) have been two of the main pursuers, but it seems there is now a couple more sides to add to that list of interested parties.

The Latest: Premier League sides in pursuit

According to this latest report, both Everton and West Ham now have the 25-year-old on their radar.

Brentford, as well as several Russian sides, are also in pursuit, as it looks very likely now that the Gers will have something of a bidding war going on for Kamara’s services.

The Verdict: Big fight for Rangers

Kamara’s stock has only risen after playing at the European Championships for Finland, for whom he has 34 caps. At 25, he has grown into one of the Gers’ most important players, and now more people are more aware of his abilities in the middle of the park, the interest is only going to increase.

Everton and West Ham, in particular, are attractive propositions for any player. The former are one of England’s biggest clubs and, backed by Farhad Moshiri’s $2.8bn (£2bn, Forbes) net worth, they have big ambitions with a shiny new stadium on the horizon.

The Hammers, meanwhile, will be in the Europa League next term and are also looking up rather than down. The Gers will do all they can to keep him, but they may struggle to do so with more and more teams now sniffing around.

In other news, Rangers fans love a photo of this man.

Former Liverpool star Paul Stewart has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he is surprised that his old side have not made a move for Tottenham striker Harry Kane.

Last month, Sky Sports claimed that Manchester City had made a £100m bid for the player.

Prior to that, City’s rivals Manchester United were also credited with an interest, with the same outlet reporting that they had been in touch with Kane’s representatives.

When it comes to Liverpool, however, there has not been much talk about them potentially being a destination for the England captain, which has come as a surprise to Stewart.

“Surprised, very surprised I haven’t heard his name bandied at Liverpool,” the ex-Reds player said. “Do Liverpool keep their business quiet? Possibly, so for all we know there could be an interest there.

“Will they spend £100m? I’m not so sure they will. I’m not sure that their owners will spend £100m on a striker.”

Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in the country, so it is a surprise that their name has rarely been mentioned in the Kane conversation.

That being said, as Stewart mentioned, Liverpool probably would not spend £100m on one player this summer. Manager Jurgen Klopp has already hinted at financial difficulties due to the pandemic, with the Reds having to pull out of a deal for Timo Werner last year.