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An update has emerged on an Ibrox transfer target, with a club from a top European league joining Rangers in the race for his services in the January window…

What’s the talk?

According to TuttoAtalanta, Serie A side Atalanta are now showing an interest in Gers target Danilho Doekhi and want to sign him when his contract with Vitesse expires in the summer.

The report claims that they have been in contact with the player over a potential pre-contract agreement this month to take him to Italy ahead of next season.

Livid

Gio van Bronckhorst could be headed for a disaster with this news as Rangers fans will be livid with the club if they end up missing out on a deal for Doekhi because they have not moved quickly enough.

The Gers are reportedly keen on tying him down to a pre-contract, which would alleviate any need to pay a transfer fee or negotiate with Vitesse for his services, but it remains to be seen how far advanced they are in their efforts to do so and this update could put them behind in the race.

Rangers must now react to Atalanta’s interest by intensifying their efforts to sign the Dutch beast as he could be an excellent signing.

Doekhi has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.01 in the Eredivisie this season and Thomas Letsch, manager of his current club, once lavished praise on the 22-year-old, saying: “Danilho is extremely important. He is one of the best centre-backs of the Eredivisie.

“Of course there is more talk about Oussama Tannane, Riechedly Bazoer and the attacking players. But it is very important for the team that you are stable and prevent goals. Everyone is responsible for that, but Doekhi, Jacob Rasmussen and also Tomas Hajek do a super job.

“He already played fantastic last year and this season he has performed at the highest level in every game. Danilho makes almost no mistakes and is an absolute team player, a very calm player. flat developed. He coaches other players very well. He is calmer than other players and perhaps that makes him less noticeable, but he is the reserve captain for a reason.”

This highlights his impressive form in the Netherlands and illustrates why fans will be gutted if the club are unable to secure a deal for his services. A defender who ‘makes almost no mistakes’ sounds like a player the supporters would love to see at Ibrox as it suggests that he is a reliable player who van Bronckhorst could trust to do a job week-in-week-out, which is why Atalanta landing him could be a disaster.

AND in other news, “Decision” imminent: Journo drops big Rangers transfer claim that’ll excite Ibrox fans…

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson has been reacting to Aston Villa’s reported interest in Liverpool defender Joe Gomez.

The Lowdown: Gomez links

Steven Gerrard is preparing his Villa side for a return to his former employers at Anfield this weekend, and it seems as if he could look for help from the Reds when the January transfer window opens.

The Mirror have linked Villa with a winter loan move for Gomez, with the 24-year-old falling down the pecking order under Jurgen Klopp.

Gomez, who is known for his searing pace, has started just three games in all competitions this season, and Gerrard is hoping to convince Klopp and the £85,000-a-week defender of a move to the Midlands.

The Latest: Robinson reacts

Robinson, who regularly features as a pundit on Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider about Gomez and the links to Villa. He labelled it as an ‘optimistic’ move but described it as ‘massive’ if they could get it over the line, saying:

“That is an optimistic one from Aston Villa.

“Given the amount of fixtures Liverpool have coming up, I think it would be a surprise if they let Gomez go.

“It would be a massive coup for Villa if they could get him.

“The only way I can see that deal going through is if the player pushes for a move. Gomez might drive a move himself given that the World Cup is coming up next year.

“Klopp is not going to want to lose one of his centre-halves after what happened last year. They were in crisis. A club with the resources of Liverpool does not have to shift on players to lessen the wage bill.

“I can only see Gomez joining Villa if he pushes for a move to get in that England squad.”

The Verdict: Needed?

Gerrard is thought to be after a centre-back and a defensive midfielder in the New Year, so the links to Gomez would appear to make sense.

However, Villa already have four senior central defenders on the books after bringing in Axel Tuanzebe on loan over the summer, so they seem fairly well-stocked in that department as things stand.

Gerrard also wants to offload two wingers in January, so an attacking addition could be more of a priority, while a defensive midfielder could also be of more importance with Marvelous Nakamba set to play in the Africa Cup of Nations in the New Year.

In other news: ‘Here we go’ – Many Villa fans erupt over ‘dream’ news

As per Milan News, it appears a major Tottenham Hotspur transfer update has emerged in the race to sign AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie.

The Lowdown: Spurs eyeing Kessie…

Tottenham have been linked with a swoop for the potential 2022 free agent since the end last summer’s transfer window with managing director Fabio Paratici targeting a move.

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La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Get Italian Football News) even claimed that Spurs talks with Kessie and his entourage were at a ‘very advanced’ stage at one point.

Meanwhile, Sportitalia TV reporter Rudy Galetti claimed that Tottenham even had a close agreement, so while these claims have failed to come to fruition so far, there is certainly plenty of noise about this one ahead of the 2022 January transfer window.

The Latest: Tottenham ‘ready’ to meet Kessie demands…

In an update, Milan Live now say that both Tottenham and Paris-Saint Germain are both ‘ready’ to ‘welcome’ and ‘satisfy’ Kessie’s wage demands – said to be around €10 million-per-season (£8.5m).

It also believed that Kessie’s exit from the San Siro is ‘increasingly likely’ with Milan potentially having to search for replacements already.

The Verdict: Get it done…

The Ivory Coast star would undoubtedly bolster Conte’s options in midfield and provide a real degree of quality, as evident by his impressive 13 goals and four assists in 36 Serie A starts last season.

Despite being a natural defensive midfielder, Kessie has flourished in a more advanced role under Stefano Pioli with Milan’s boss even calling him ‘sumptuous’.

Valued at around £49.5 million by Transfermarkt, Spurs and Paratici could bypass that or any fee by signing him on a pre-contract in January – a move which is surely a no-brainer.

In other news: Spurs eyeing ‘special’ £30m ‘beast’ as reliable reporter lifts lid on Levy meeting, find out more here.

The Express and Star’s Luke Hatfield has delivered an update on Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings amid speculation linking him with a move to Newcastle United in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that the newly-minted Magpies will be turning their attentions towards Villa’s club captain, but Hatfield has now played down those links.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “I’d be surprised. Tyrone Mings is obviously a massive player for Aston Villa.”

Could back-fire massively

While Mings has endured a very disappointing start to the Premier League season – so much so that Dean Smith even dropped him from the starting line-up against West Ham – there’s no questioning that when the 28-year-old is on song, he can be a very commanding and authoritative presence at the back.

The defender was one of the stars of England’s run to the final of Euro 2020 over the summer, with former Three Lions centre-back Rio Ferdinand waxing lyrical about him after the first couple of group games.

The ex-Man United stalwart said: “I think he’s done really well in the games. Tyrone Mings has probably been one of the standout players over the first two games.

“I was one of the people who was quite sceptical of him going, let alone playing. But he’s done really well, you have to take your hat off to him. He’s played two games that have probably suited his way of playing. But you’ve still got to put the performance in and he’s done that.”

While the £27m-rated centre-back may not have been at his best this season, it would be a very hasty call by Villa to get rid of him completely, especially to a Premier League rival like Newcastle.

The Magpies find themselves just five points behind Villa and will likely be major players in the transfer market come January. Signing Mings would not only strengthen them, but weaken a team who they feel they could overtake not just this season, but in the years to come too.

Gerrard simply has to keep the 28-year-old away from Newcastle’s clutches and avoid making a mistake which could backfire massively in both the short- and long-term.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has revealed what Gerrard has “transformed” at Bodymoor Heath…

After the departure of Dean Smith at Aston Villa, the club’s new manager Steven Gerrard has had the perfect start by winning his first two games in charge.

Despite it still being the early days of his reign at Villa Park, it seems as though they has already identified a new player that they would like to add to Gerrard’s squad.

What’s the word?

In a recent report from Ole (via Sport Witness) Villa have shown their interest in signing River Plate attacker Julian Alvarez after it was previously reported by the same publication that the Argentine club’s vice-president Jorge Brito revealed that the 21-year-old’s representatives recently travelled to England for discussions.

As a product of River Plate’s youth system, Alvarez – who is currently valued at £18m by Transfermarkt – has made a total of 92 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 33 goals and providing 23 assists in the process, which is presumably why Villa have such an interest in the attacker.

So far this season, the 21-year-old – who has been likened to former Liverpool and Barcelona striker Luis Suarez in terms of being “hungry” out on the pitch by Sebastian Abreu – has racked up 17 goals and six assists in 18 league appearances.

This hunger can be seen by the fact that Alvarez has averaged 3.3 shots and 2.1 key passes per game in the league, higher for both metrics than what current Villa striker Ollie Watkins has produced in the Premier League this season.

Taking this impressive goalscoring record and his age into account, the Argentine youngster could be a perfect signing for Gerrard as a young goalscorer with immense potential and attitude.

Moving forward, with Villa CEO Christian Purslow recently suggesting that some deals could be made in the upcoming January transfer window as Gerrard looks to make his mark on the team, this could pave a way for the club to make a swoop for Alvarez and keep him out of the clutches of Real Madrid, Inter, AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus and Ajax, who all reportedly have an eye on the Argentine as well.

 In other news: Gerrard could be heading for his first AVFC disaster over £31.5m-rated “absolute joy” 

Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash has ‘officially’ received his Polish passport and is expected to be called up by the national team for next month’s World Cup qualifiers.

Reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano has kept on top of Cash’s process to switch nationalities in recent months, and a number of Villa fans have been reacting to his Twitter post.

The 24-year-old, who has been a regular in Dean Smith’s side this season, stayed in London over the weekend following the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on Friday.

He visited the Polish embassy to begin the process of switching nationalities, which has now been completed.

It has been a long time coming for Cash, who was looking into representing Poland back in 2019.

Poland take on Andorra and Hungary next month in crucial qualifiers, and it appears as if Paulo Sousa will name the Villa full-back in his squad.

Villa fans react

Romano shared the news regarding Cash to his 5.6m Twitter followers. This is what some Villa fans had to say in reply…

“YESSSSSSSSS CASHKOWSKIIIIIIII”

Credit: @AvfcLuka

“Surely he will be the best player in the team?”

Credit: @AvfcTalkTime

“MATEUSZ CASHOWSKI”

Credit: @ryanmccarthy688

“International caps confirmed for Cash”

Credit: @branvilladon

“The polish Alan Hutton”

Credit: @WazeUTV

“The Polish Cafu, the Polish Cafu, MATTY CASH, THE POLISH CAFU.”

Credit: @ItsJuliobnave

In other news: ‘2-0 West Ham’ – Lots of AVFC fans unleash at ‘unbelievable’ report on Villa striker. 

A number of Wolves supporters have been hailing Jose Sa’s brilliant save against Everton on Monday night, following an official club tweet.

Bruno Lage’s side are in a rich vein of form at the moment, winning four of their last five Premier League matches and jumping to seventh place in the table.

After a slow start to the season, Wolves are flying now, with confidence growing that even a European finish isn’t out of the question – they lie just one point behind Arsenal and Manchester United.

Everton were beaten 2-1 at Molineux on Monday evening, with Lage’s men fully deserving winners after outplaying the Toffees for much of proceedings, racking up 62 per cent of the ball and nearly double the amount of passes of their opponent.

Sa was forced into a vital save at one point in the second half, however, showing impressive reflexes t0 deny Anthony Gordon’s header.

Wolves fans laud Sa save

A video of the save was shared on Wolves’ official Twitter account on Wednesday and these fans reacted to it.

“Unbelievable save”

Credit: @cal_wolvesfc

“It’s so nice being proven wrong about a signing”

Credit: @wwfc_bibb

“Didn’t think he’d be any good but he’s better than Rui “

Credit: @SmithyWolves

“Never been so happy to be wrong on a signing, I can’t lie”

Credit: @_KKWWFC

“Ridiculous upgrade on Patricio”

Credit: @liaamduce

“Phenomenal signing”

Credit: @itsmebrody44

In other news, some Wolves fans love a piece of news regarding one player. Find out who it is here.

Some Glasgow Rangers fans have been left buzzing as some news emerged on their game at home to Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

As per the official website of the Ibrox faithful, no Light Blues supporter will be refused entry into the ground, despite it being used as a ‘test event’ by the Scottish government.

This comes after Gers were told that they must show a vaccine certificate if they wish to go into the stadium, and must be fully vaccinated and able to show proof of such, unless they are exempt.

While the restrictions are not ideal for some of the fans, the latest information about not being refused entry has at least lightened the mood of those planning to go to the match tomorrow afternoon.

Rangers fans on Hibernian news

These Light Blues buzzed as the news was shared on Twitter, with one RFC supporter even going as far as to claim that it is ‘fantastic news’:

“Yessss finally!!”

Credit: @laurenrfc96

“Ideal”

Credit: @JordanCowie72

“Fantastic news”

Credit: @sc__morton

“Great news and what a relief for anyone who was concerned about getting in on Sunday”

Credit: @HeartAndHamez

“This is amazing.”

Credit: @BrianSpanner1

“My club”

Credit: @RFCGW

In other news, find out what one pundit has heard about Connor Goldson’s contract here!

Raphinha is too big for Leeds United and will be looking for a fresh challenge, according to his former coach Vitor Campelos.

The Lowdown: Raphinha linked with exit

The Brazilian’s reputation has never been greater than at this moment, following an electric start to his Brazil career, with two goals and assists apiece coming his way in his first three caps.

Raphinha has been linked with leaving Leeds a number of times in recent weeks, with his agent even specifically mentioning summer interest from Liverpool.

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The Latest: Coach makes worrying prediction

The winger’s former coach at Vitoria Guimaraes B, Campelos, told Record [via Sport Witness] in an eight-word verdict that Raphinha will be keen to leave Elland Rad in the near future:

“Leeds will already be too small for him.”

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The Verdict: Inevitable conclusion?

Sad though it may be, there does seem to be a feeling of inevitability about Raphinha moving on at some point soon, given his potential as a player.

Leeds are a top club in their own right, but they are not guaranteeing the winger Champions League football, which is a level he will surely want to try given he has now established himself as a star on the international stage.

It would be a shock if Raphinha left in the January transfer window given the negotiating power afforded by his contract running for three more years, but a summer exit is looking more on the cards all the time.

In other news, one Leeds player has been urged to ignore interest from a big Premier League club. Find out who it is here.

Michael Ball has offered his thoughts on the prospect of Premier League side Everton signing Nathan Patterson from Rangers.

What’s the talk?

Michael Ball, who played for both Everton and Rangers, has backed the Toffees to take Nathan Patterson away from Ibrox, hailing their reported pursuit of the defender as clever.

He told Transfer Tavern:

“I think it’s good that Everton are looking north of the border and trying to be clever.

“We all like big signings, we all like the big name players but moving forward, it’s a mixture of trying to bring in players from the academy, a bit of youth from elsewhere, who can compete in every position, as well as your bigger signings and Nathan is really highly thought of at Rangers.”

Fans would hate it

Ross Wilson must avoid a Rangers blunder with Patterson in the January transfer window. Fans would hate it if the club decided to cash in on one of the promising young players in the squad midway through the campaign, as it could mean that there is no succession plan for captain James Tavernier.

The ex-Newcastle man turns 30 in October and Patterson, 19, could be his long-term replacement at right-back if all goes well. Patterson averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.86 in seven Premiership appearances last term, whilst also managing a score of 6.85 in four Europa League games.

This shows that he is already capable of stepping up into the first-team and providing a reliable outlet down the right. At his young age, he also has plenty of time to continue his development and become a player who could thrive as a regular starter at Ibrox.

The club’s head of academy Craig Mulholland once lauded the defender as a fantastic player, saying: “Nathan has been fantastic for us this year.

“Again, we started the project five, six, years ago to get a level of player that we felt could go and compete in the Europa League, could go and compete in Old Firm games.

“And if you go and look at Nathan in the last 16 of the Europa League, if you look at him in the Old Firm game, it’s a great example for all the young players in here of what we’re trying to achieve.”

This highlights how highly the £4.9k-per-week gem is rated by the club behind the scenes, which is why keeping him should be a priority for Wilson. It would be a disaster to lose such a promising talent, one who could be the heir to Tavernier’s throne and that is why fans will hate it if they accept any offers from Everton, or any other club, in the January window.

AND in other news, Forget Aribo: Rangers beast with 93 touches stole the show for Gerrard’s side…