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Manchester United may have to pay a substantial transfer fee if they want to sign striker Evan Ferguson from Brighton next summer.

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Evan Ferguson recently signed new Brighton contractDeal reported to have no release clauseMan Utd heavily linked with 19-year-old strikerWHAT HAPPENED?

Ferguson signed a new contract with Brighton earlier this month until 2029, with The Athletic now reporting that the fresh deal does not include a release clause. That means there is no fixed transfer fee to prise him away, essentially protecting the Seagulls and allowing them to ask for anything they want.

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Lacking depth up front with only Anthony Martial as an alternative to 20-year-old Rasmus Hojlund, Manchester United have been heavily linked with Ferguson. The 19-year-old Republic of Ireland international scored a 42-minute hat-trick against Newcastle in early September and is tipped to become one of the Premier League's top strikers in the next few seasons. Ferguson's recent new contract was his second in a matter of months as Brighton work fast to keep up with his growing status. Under no pressure to sell, the Seagulls managed to pry a British record £115 million ($144m) out of Chelsea for Moises Caicedo.

DID YOU KNOW?

Feguson has previously admitted that he was a Manchester United fan while growing up near Dublin: "I supported United as a boy. You had the [Wayne] Rooneys, the [Dimitar] Berbatovs and obviously Danny Welbeck. They've always had a good thing going with the striker."

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WHAT NEXT FOR FERGUSON?

Just 11 games into 2023-24, Ferguson is already on five Premier League goals and only one shy of matching his tally for the whole of his 2022-23 breakout season. An achievable aim would be to reach at least 10 in the league by the end of the campaign and perhaps be Brighton's top scorer across all competitions as well.

Manchester United star Scott McTominay says he doesn't take his lack of regular starts "personally" after his late winner against Aston Villa.

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Man Utd beat Aston Villa 2-1Sub McTominay scores winnerScot unphased by lack of startsGetty WHAT HAPPENED?

Scottish international McTominay came off the bench to score an 86th-minute winner following goals from United's Rasmus Hojlund and Villa's Douglas Luiz. After the Red Devils' 2-1 win at Villa Park, the 27-year-old said he was unphased by his repeated cameo roles under Erik ten Hag as the midfielder just wants to do his best for the team.

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He told : "I feel like as long as I'm fit and healthy I can come onto the pitch and perform. I don't take it personally, I just want to come in and try and do the best I can for this. Long may it continue. It was an unbelievable cross to be fair, whipped with a lot of pace. I just needed it to hit my head and get it on target. Full credit to the boys, we created a lot of good chances which may go unnoticed. Every game you win is massive for taking a step forward and confidence for the boys. It is all positive but it is about repeating it and not getting too far ahead of ourselves when we win a few. We've got to repeat it now."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Although McTominay has started just 12 times in the Premier League this season, no player has scored more goals from the bench (four) in the English top-flight this term. The Scot has scored eight goals and bagged two assists in all competitions in 2023-24 and his contributions are certainly having a positive impact on United – who are just five points off fourth-placed Tottenham.

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Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

United's victory at Villa Park was their 40th in the Premier League over Villa (won 40, drawn 13, and lost five), equalling the record for most wins by a club against a single opponent. They have also beaten Everton 40 times in the Premier League era.

Lionel Messi is now an eight-time Ballon d’Or winner, and to honour that achievement he has gifted a golden ‘GOATorade’ bottle to his first club.

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Argentine icon has landed another Golden BallContinues to rewrite the history booksRemembering where it all began for him

WHAT HAPPENED?

The all-time great, who is a World Cup winner and the most decorated player in history, could never have imagined that he would scale such heights when starting out in humble surroundings at Rosario-based side A. Grandoli F.C.

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Having risen to the very top of the world game, becoming football’s GOAT in the process, the Argentine superstar has made a point of recognising the efforts of those that put him on the path to greatness. A one-off ‘G.O.A.T.orade’ bottle has been produced in his honour, which is made from gold and contains soil from A. Grandoli’s pitch.

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WHAT MESSI HAS SAID

Messi has said when offering a nod towards the club that allowed him to start turning dreams into reality: “I fell in love with football when I was four years old playing in my hometown Rosario. Thanks to @Gatorade for bringing all the great memories of my boyhood with this gift.”

Alisha Lehmann showed off her Valentine's Day gift from boyfriend and fellow Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz.

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Lehmann and Luiz dating againFormer receives flowers from Villa aceSwiss star sends affectionate messageWHAT HAPPENED?

The Swiss international took to social media to post a photo of red roses that were seemingly from Brazilian midfielder Luiz as a Valentine's Day gift. In response, she posted an affectionate message to the 25-year-old.

AdvertisementInstagram and Getty ImagesWHAT ALISHA LEHMANN SAID

In her Instagram story, the 25-year-old, who was recently in her native Switzerland and spotted a lifesize Bobblehead of herself at carnival, posted a picture of the red roses she had received and wrote: "Love you, @DGoficial6 (Luiz)."

THE GOSSIP

The Villa duo broke up in November 2022 after a year of dating, due to a reported calendar dispute, but it seems they are giving their relationship another go after posing for a photo together at a New Year's Eve party. And going by this latest gift, it seems the couple are loved up once more.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Luiz's Champions League-chasing Villa side are back in Premier League action on Saturday when they head to mid-table Fulham, whereas Lehmann's team travel to Tottenham in the Women's Super League on Sunday.

Reece James set an ambitious target of 40 goals this season for sister and Chelsea forward Lauren, as he jokes she should score "a hat-trick a game."

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Chelsea forward in sensational form this termBrother Reece pushes her for more gloryWants Lauren to hit at least 40 goals this season WHAT HAPPENED?

James was recognised as theBarclays Women's Super League (WSL) Player of the Monthfor January for her impressive performance in two crucial WSL fixtures against Manchester United and Brighton. She scored a hat-trick against the Red Devils and followed it up with a brace in the Blues' 3-0 victory over the Sea Gulls. However, her brother Reece, believes that she is capable of attaining more glory and set her an ambitious target of scoring 40 goals this season.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPWHAT REECE JAMES SAID

The interviewer asked Reece, how many goals could Lauren score this season. The defender replied: "40 goals, maybe? Anything less than 40 is disappointing."

"So not high standards or anything for her?"

"No. She should score a hat-trick a game."

When the interviewer asked if Reece would give her a brief after each match, he responded: "No, I don't need to say anything, she knows."

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THE BIGGER PICTURE

When Lauren was asked about the target that she had set for herself, the forward said, "I'm hoping to get 20."

When she was informed that her brother wanted her to get past the 40-mark she was shocked!

"40?!" Yeah, that is very high (standards)," Lauren responded.

Harry Kane's brace helped Bayern Munich get back to winnings ways against RB Leipzig on Saturday.

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Kane netted a brace in Bayern's win over RB LeipzigNow has 31 goals to his name this seasonBayern Munich eight points behind LeverkusenWHAT HAPPENED?

Kane opened the scoring for his side in the 56th minute before Benjamin Sesko equalised for RB Leipzig in the 70th minute. The England captain then completed his brace in the 91st minute to help Bayern Munich pick up a crucial win.

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After guiding his team to a win in a difficult Bundesliga fixture, Kane took to Instagram where he shared photographs from the game with the caption, "Massive. Important late winner! Kick on from here."

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The former Tottenham Hotspur star now has 31 goals to his name across all competitions in the ongoing campaign. After breaking multiple records in his maiden season in Germany, the English forward is now just 10 goals short of equaling Robert Lewandowski's haul of scoring 41 goals in a season while playing the Bavarian side.

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(C)Getty imagesWHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN MUNICH?

Thomas Tuchel's side are now eight points behind league leaders Bayer Leverkusen. They will be next seen in action on Friday when they take SC Freiburg in a league clash.

Manchester United have had nothing short of a terrible season. With a managerial change, failing to mount a title challenge or even finish in the top five and nowhere close to claiming any of the domestic cups, it has been a campaign to forget for the Old Trafford faithful.

New manager Erik ten Hag faces a massive job in the summer with rebuilding the squad and getting the players to buy into his ideologies ahead of what could be their most important season in recent memory.

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One area of the squad which urgently needs prioritising is the defence. United have conceded 56 goals in the Premier League alone, the second-highest total of the teams in the top half of the table.

A rejig of the defence during the transfer window will likely be the main aim for Ten Hag, and the club have shown interest in the Inter Milan centre back Milan Skriniar, according to Italian news outlet Calciomercato. It’s worth noting, however, that Chelsea and Tottenham are also interested in the player.

The 27-year-old would be a major upgrade on Eric Bailly – who has been dubbed “rash” by Trevor Sinclair in the past – and also has the experience of winning trophies at Inter over the previous couple of seasons.

Axe Bailly, sign Skriniar

Bailly has spent a lot of the past two years sidelined through injury, but comparing the two players on last season’s performances shows that Skriniar would be the much better option.

The Slovakian registered more tackles, blocks and interceptions (55, 48 and 27 respectively) in 2020/21 compared to the United defender (nine, 17 and 22 respectively), although Bailly played fewer matches during the season.

Skriniar is the highest-rated Inter defender on WhoScored this season, with an average rating of 6.82, and someone of his presence at the heart of the Red Devils’ defence is exactly what Ten Hag will be after, especially with Graham Roberts lauding the 27-year-old as “absolutely brilliant” during Euro 2020 last year.

This seems like the ideal opportunity for the new United manager to axe the unreliable Bailly for good and instead replaced him with a tank of a centre-back in Skriniar.

AND in other news, Man United nearing the signing of “magic” £58m “unicorn”, he’s Modric 2.0

Celtic have seen many players move in and out of the squad over the past decade either on permanent or loan deals.

In terms of the players that joined the Hoops, while some may not have made an impact, one that definitely made the most of his time at Parkhead is Patrick Roberts.

During two loan spells from Premier League club Manchester City, the winger ended up making 78 appearances across all competitions.

In those appearances, the Englishman scored 18 goals, provided 26 assists and won seven trophies in the process.

Predominantly playing on the right-wing, the 25-year-old played in numerous positions across the attack and midfield, making himself a useful and versatile squad option.

Now that the former Celtic loan star has brought an end to his time with the Premier League champions and joined Sunderland, it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll be returning to Parkhead anytime soon.

However, the Hoops could sign what may well be a new version of Roberts this summer by securing a move for Bodo/Glimt winger Ola Solbakken, who was linked with a move to Celtic Park last month.

With 53 appearances under his belt on the right wing and 41 on the left, his versatility could also make him a useful option for Postecoglou as Roberts was for Celtic during his period with the club.

In 115 senior club appearances, the £1.8m-rated attacker has found the net 23 times and delivered 27 assists, showing that, once again, just like Roberts, Solbakken has a knack for not only scoring but creating goals as well from the wings.

To compare Roberts’ 2017/18 season at Celtic with Solbakken’s current campaign with his current club, the Norwegian attacker currently has a higher average of assists per 90 minutes than the Englishman racked up.

Labelled as being “[Jose] Mourinho’s nightmare” by journalist Pablo Giralt after the 23-year-old scored two goals in the 6-1 victory over AS Roma back in October, Solbakken could be a solid addition to Celtic’s ranks as they aim to not only regain the SPFL title but also get their hands on other domestic trophies and do their best in Europe.

Moving forward, should Postecoglou feel the need to strengthen what already is a rather attacking team this summer, securing a deal for the Bodo/Glimt star could be a great bit of business for the Parkhead club and give the fans a new version of Roberts to enjoy watching.

In other news: Better than Edouard: Celtic eyeing “feisty” 51-goal dynamo, supporters surely buzzing

West Bromwich Albion are reportedly interested in signing Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Amer Gojak this summer.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Germanijak and relayed on Twitter by journalist Izak Ante Sucic, the midfielder could be on his way out of the Croatian club in the coming weeks.

It has also been claimed that Dinamo Zagreb would look for a fee of €2m (£1.7m) to sell him, with West Brom being one of many clubs looking at the player.

The 25-year-old joined the Croatian champions in February 2015 from Bosnian club FK Olimpik.

Since then, the midfielder has gone on to make 200 appearances for his current side across all competitions. In that time, Gojak has scored 18 goals and delivered 21 assists along the way.

However, this season has shown why it would be a mistake for the Baggies to launch a move for the player.

Bruce must avoid Gojak calamity

In 39 appearances this term, Gojak – who is currently valued at £2.25m by Transfermarkt – could only score on two occasions and provided just one assist.

His eight performances in Dinamo Zagreb’s Europa League campaign ultimately earned the midfielder a rather uninspiring overall rating of 6.31/10, making him one of the lowest-rated players from his side to start more than one game in the tournament according to WhoScored.

Last season was rather dismal for the Bosnian too as he spent the campaign on loan with Torino. Having made just 15 appearances in Serie A, he again earned a rather poor overall performance rating of 6.33/10 from WhoScored.

Taking all this into account, Gojak’s recent history doesn’t suggest that he would be a good signing for West Brom, or that he would do much to help them reach promotion back to the Premier League. In fact, it could be calamitous for Bruce and his side if they do end up bringing him to The Hawthorns.

It also makes it easy to see why Dinamo Zagreb are reportedly looking to get rid of the player this summer.

Also, the Midlands club’s recent signing of John Swift from Reading suggests that adding another midfielder to their ranks may not be at the top of their priorities at the moment.

In other news: Bruce can secure the next Gallagher as WBA eye £3m dynamo who is a “constant threat”

Aston Villa are ‘unlikely’ to sign Burnley centre-back James Tarkowski this summer, according to Gregg Evans.

The Lowdown: Tarkowski linked with Villa

Villa have been hard at work prior to the transfer window officially opening, making Philippe Coutinho’s loan move permanent and putting deals in place to sign Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos.

The latter isn’t the only centre-back on Villa’s radar, though, with the Midlands club being linked with Rangers’ Calvin Bassey as well as Tarkowski.

Sky Sports revealed last week that Villa held talks with the Burnley defender ahead of a possible move, with reports even suggesting that Steven Gerrard was desperate for the club to get a move over the line, believing there isn’t a better deal to be struck all summer for the soon-to-be free agent due to his Premier League experience (194 top-flight outings).

The Latest: Evans’ update on Tarkowski

The Athletic recently stated that Villa were the early favourites when it came to securing Tarkowski’s services.

However, Evans took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to reveal that a move to Villa Park for the 29-year-old is now ‘unlikely’.

The Verdict: All-in for Bassey?

With Tarkowski potentially morning elsewhere, Villa may now look to go all-in for Bassey. Gerrard knows the player well after working with the Nigerian at Ibrox following a move from Leicester.

Bassey starred in the final months of the 2021/22 campaign, catching the eye in the Europa League final defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt. The 22-year-old would provide an option at both centre-back and left-back, and with reports previously hinting that a move to Villa was close, it could be one to watch closely once more.

In other news: ‘Brutal’ – NSWE now closing in on another Villa signing for Gerrard after Carlos; pundit fuming