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Aston Villa have been handed a boost in their quest to sign Scotland’s next star boy.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from Birmingham Mail, who have relayed claims from Bologna sporting director Marco Di Vaio who claims that Aaron Hickey is likely to leave Serie A side Bologna this summer “if a sizeable offer is made for him.”

As per the report, the young Scotland international is priced at around £18m and it is said that “plenty of outgoings” will make for a sizeable figure that will go straight back into Gerrard’s transfer budget.

It is also said that there is competition around the 20-year-old, with the likes of Napoli and fellow Premier League rivals Arsenal and Newcastle United all keen on acquiring the starlet’s signature.

Villa’s own Robertson

With a shared nationality, position and level of attacking intent, Hickey is perhaps the closest mimic of Liverpool’s £58.5m-rated machine in Andy Robertson.

Gerrard will be aware of the links between the two and, of course, the numbers that the young Bologna star has produced over in Italy this season.

Having found himself in Siniša Mihajlović’s starting XI 89% of the time this season, he has seized his opportunity as a more attacking left-sided operator and, in a back-three system, has shone as a left-wing back.

It’s this slight positional tweak that has seen Hickey discover his goal-scoring touch, scoring five goals in the Serie A this season. With a range of consistent and promising performances in Italy, he is once again a “golden boy nominee”.

In an attacking sense this season, his numbers in front of goal are slightly better than Robertson’s, with the youngster having more shots with 0.67 per game and more accurate shots at that with 61.9% on target per match. Though it is worth noting that his defensive numbers have suffered slightly as a result.

Either way, he is exactly what Gerrard is looking for; a young starlet with a seemingly limitless ceiling who can play a part and offer intense competition for current automatic starter, Lucas Digne.

Given Bologna’s willingness to offload the asset, Johan Lange and Villa have been handed a boost in their pursuit.

In other news: AVFC now given green light to seal “huge” £10m summer signing, Gerrard will love him 

Reliable journalist Alasdair Gold has shared an update on the circumstances of Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni amid interest from Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lowdown: Spurs in pursuit of Bastoni

The Italy international has become one of Fabio Paratici’s main transfer targets in recent weeks, with Lilywhites manager Antonio Conte having formed a good relationship with the defender during their time together at Inter.

According to Football Italia, although there isn’t a deal currently in place for the 23-year-old, Bastoni’s agent has encouraged his player to ‘adjust’ to the ongoing developments in the transfer market, with the centre-back reportedly happy to remain at the San Siro.

The Latest: Gold’s update on Bastoni

In a Q&A for football.london, Gold shared an update on Tottenham’s ongoing situation with Inter and Bastoni.

He claimed: “This is purely my opinion and we’re very early in the transfer window so things can change quickly, but I get the feeling that circumstances at Inter are working in Spurs’ favour at the moment.

“They need money to address their attack, with Dybala a target and a Lukaku return considered, while at the back they also want to sign Bremer, a player Spurs also have on their centre-back list.

“They need funds because they’re in a tough financial position and Bastoni is one of their best chances of raising those funds and he has just two years left on his contract so, unless he signs a new deal, this is the peak value they can get for him. The 23-year-old is happy at Inter at this point in his career, but I just wonder whether what’s going on at the club ends up pushing him towards the door.

“His agent’s comments this week seemed to suggest that could be a possibility. It’s still very early days though and Spurs have other options, although both Conte and Paratici really like the big Inter defender. I think we need to get through the international period first, which makes it difficult to tie up deals and players can’t fully focus on their decisions right now.”

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The Verdict: Looking more positive

Prior to these comments from Gold, Dan Kilpatrick reported that Bastoni is ‘reluctant’ to leave the Serie A club. Although the deal is ‘not dead in the water’, the Evening Standard journalist claimed that Tottenham will have to do a lot of convincing to bring the centre-back to Hotspur Way this summer.

However, Gold’s update appears to be a lot more positive, with circumstances seemingly falling into place for Spurs.

Paratici will surely be doing all he can to secure Bastoni’s signature, given that he is seemingly a massive admirer of the 23-year-old, who was dubbed ‘incredibly aggressive’ by former Lilywhites employee Roberto Kusabbi.

Hopefully Tottenham can pounce upon the seemingly advantageous circumstances and reunite the Italy defender with his former Nerazzurri manager in north London over the coming weeks or months.

In other news: Spurs confident they can strike agreement for Romelu Lukaku

Everton are reportedly leading the chase to sign Burnley central defender Ben Mee this summer, according to The Mirror. 

The lowdown: Top class pedigree

A product of the Manchester City youth system, Mee spent a short period of time on loan at Leicester City before moving to Burnley, where he became a mainstay in the heart of the defence.

The 32-year-old former England Under 21 international has made 376 appearances for the Lancashire club but couldn’t prevent relegation from the Premier League last term.

Set to become a free agent at the end of June (Transfermarkt), Everton could be now readying a move for Mee…

The latest: Mirror puts Everton in pole

As per The Mirror, Everton and Aston Villa are the ‘frontrunners’ to sign the experienced star.

It’s claimed that Burnley have offered Mee a new deal to stay but the Englishman had ‘put off making a decision’ for the time being.

However, now it’s stated that the man praised for an ‘outstanding’ display against Man City is now ‘reluctantly ready to quit’ Turf Moor in search of continued top-flight action.

The verdict: Double swoop?

Already heavily linked with a move for Burnley centre-back partner and fellow soon to be free agent James Tarkowski, Toffees boss Frank Lampard and Director of Football Kevin Thelwell could be poised to strengthen the defensive department at Goodison Park twice over without spending a penny in transfer fees.

Regardless of Mee’s advancing years, the imposing star scored three times in 24 appearances across all competitions last season and remains an impressive Premier League operator, as proven by a 7.07 Sofascore rating including coming out on top of 5.0 duels and making a monstrous 4.4 clearances on average per game.

After conceding 66 goals in the league in 2021/22 – 11 more than relegated Burnley – adding Mee to the ranks and perhaps allowing the no-nonsense defender to work alongside Michael Keane having obtained invaluable coaching experience would be a no-brainer for the Blues.

In other news: Everton: Oleksandr Zinchenko touted for Toffees move

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Tottenham are set to hold an important meeting with Antonio Conte to discuss the club’s plans for the future and are ‘optimistic’ that he will decide to stay in N17 for next season and beyond.

The Lowdown: Conte’s change of heart?

The Lilywhites appointed the 52-year-old as their new head coach last November following the abrupt departure of former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

Although the Italian’s contract with the north London giants not set to expire until June 2023, his future has been very much up in the air of late after it was claimed last month that he had offered his services to Paris Saint-Germain, amid reports that the French champions were considering sacking former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

However, after successfully securing Champions League football for Spurs next term following an emphatic 5-0 victory over relegated Norwich City on the final day of the Premier League season, it would appear that the Tottenham hierarchy are now confident of being able to keep hold of Conte.

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The Latest: Romano reveals meeting plans

Taking to Twitter, Romano shared details of a meeting between Conte and Tottenham officials which is due to take place in the coming weeks.

He wrote: “Tottenham are waiting for important meeting with Antonio Conte to plan for the future – Spurs sources are feeling optimistic about Antonio’s decision, waiting for his ‘green light’.”

The Verdict: £150m windfall could make the difference

As a result of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League, Tottenham’s shareholders ENIC Sports Inc have recently announced that they will be putting an additional £150m into the club.

This should no doubt have a positive influence when it comes down to Conte deciding whether or not he wants to remain in charge at Spurs, as this hefty sum could be used to fund some big transfers during the upcoming window.

It is thought that the Italian has been promised six new summer signings in a bid to convince him to stay. Therefore, if Paratici does provide Conte with the financial backing and support that he needs, you’d imagine that the 52-year-old will want to assemble his squad in a way which will give Spurs the best possible chance of getting their hands on some silverware next season and mounting a greater challenge to the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.

In other news… a transfer insider has revealed that one of Tottenham’s summer targets is set to join the club ‘very soon’

Manchester United ended the season with their third loss in their last five Premier League games at Selhurst Park, and the disappointing performance was witnessed by a very special guest.

The new manager Erik ten Hag was in attendance for Ralf Rangnick’s final game in charge and there is no doubt that the Dutchman will have lots to take away from the performance on display this afternoon.

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Despite dominating possession (62%), having more shots on target, and almost twice as many passes completed than Patrick Vieira’s side, the Red Devils failed to take their chances throughout the game which has been the story of their season.

Unlike Man United, Crystal Palace didn’t take their chances for granted, with Wilfried Zaha scoring in the 37th minute, which was one of three of their shots on target over the game, leading to a final day victory for the hosts.

One player in particular who embarrassed himself in front of his new manager sitting in the stands was Bruno Fernandes, who recently signed a new contract to extend his stay at Old Trafford for four years.

According to SofaScore, the Portuguese lightweight lost the ball a shocking 29 times, committed two fouls, won only 33% of his duels combined and made the error leading to Zaha’s goal.

It was undoubtedly a performance that the midfielder will want to forget and will hope Ten Hag is willing to forget too.

Following today’s result, Man United have finished their campaign on a goal difference of zero for the first time ever and tallied their lowest amount of points over a season in their Premier League history, whilst falling into their longest trophy drought for 40 years, so big changes are clearly in desperate need.

The former Ajax coach has now seen for himself how much work there is to do at the club and will spend the summer identifying ways to improve the team and implementing his philosophy at Old Trafford with the full backing of the board when it comes to making transfers.

After winning back to back titles with the Eredivisie giants, Ten Hag will want to continue his pursuit for trophies in the Premier League and will surely be ruthless in building a team he believes can compete during his tenure.

Therefore, the current players, and Fernandines in particular after this game, will need to step up and improve if they want to continue to play for the club.

AND in other news: Man United are now the “frontrunners” to sign £35m “great leader”, ten Hag needs him

Leeds United could revive their move for Noa Lang after securing Premier League survival. 

The lowdown

Leeds snatched 17th place and safety from Burnley on the final day of the season as they beat Brentford 2-1 and the Clarets lost 2-1 to Newcastle United.

It emerged last August that Leeds were interested in Lang, but he wound up making his loan from Ajax to Club Brugge permanent instead.

And Football Insider reported earlier this month that the Whites have held fresh talks over the potential deal.

Lang is predominantly a left winger but he’s showcased some impressive versatility in the early years of his career, featuring as a second striker, attacking midfielder, central midfielder and right winger too.

He has three years left on the contract he signed last summer with the Jupiler Pro League champions, and is valued at £19.8million by Transfermarkt.

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The latest

Speaking to GiveMeSport on Saturday, journalist Pete O’Rourke said Leeds’ fate in the relegation battle would likely determine whether a move for Lang was realistic.

“A lot depends on where Leeds are next season. If they’re in the Premier League they might have a chance of signing Noa Lang, but if they get relegated to the Championship, it’s not going to happen because he will be looking to play at the highest level as possible.”

Now that they are safe, it follows that they may well ‘have a chance’ of landing the Dutchman.

The verdict

If Lang does join Leeds, it will be intriguing to see where he slots into the side.

He’ll certainly be pushing for a starting spot, having combined nine goals with 15 assists this season and making his debut for the Netherlands, a top ten international side.

Analyst Filip Joos has described him as ‘the best player in the [Belgian] league’, while retired Dutch player Pierre van Hooijdonk likened him to Robin van Persie.

Lang could compete with Jack Harrison for a place on the left-hand side, but The Athletic’s Phil Hay has also raised the possibility that he could replace Barcelona-linked Raphinha.

And there’s even a chance Jesse Marsch might seek to utilise him through the middle, as he did with Rodrigo and Dan James.

His versatility opens up a whole host of possibilities.

In other news, read this journalist’s key Laurens De Bock claim. 

Manchester United have been issued an update on the stance of their summer transfer target Frenkie de Jong.

What’s the word?

That is according to Sky Sports Journalist Florian Plettenberg, who claims the saga between De Jong and United “could become one of the biggest transfers this summer.”

Taking to Twitter in what was a direct reply to Fabrizio Romano, Plettenberg said: “De Jong and MUFC. It could become one of the biggest transfers in summer. It’s hot but Xavi is fighting for him internally as reported. He wants to keep him but Barca needs money for players like Lewandowski… Ten Hag wants him for his tactical ideas.”

As per the latest report, Xavi wants to keep De Jong, though Barcelona’s financial situation, amidst their desire to sign players this summer, may spell the end of the 25-year-old’s career with the Blaugrana.

Though, the eight-word statement of “Ten Hag wants him for his tactical ideas” bodes well for United.

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Ten Hag will be buzzing

The latest update surrounding De Jong’s future is one that can be taken both ways and requires perspective.

On one hand, the Barca boss wants to keep the player and, as Plettenberg stated, “is fighting for him internally.”

But on the other hand, Barcelona need to sell players this summer in order to fulfil their ambition of signing Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski, whilst a reunion with former boss ten Hag and a chance for regular minutes in the Premier League may be too tempting to turn down from a player perspective also.

Ten Hag has a deep appreciation for the player and is reportedly calling the Barca star every day in order to secure his key summer target so he will surely love to get a deal over the line.

Nevertheless, supporters will be buzzing with the Dutchman’s efforts to secure the signing of De Jong. After all, he is a mercurial talent, one who has shown extraordinary promise in his career so far.

For Ajax, the midfielder scored five times and registered 13 assists while he’s scored that very number of goals for Barca, and laid on 17 assists in over 100 appearances. Clearly an elite-level midfielder, he’d add a great deal to a stuttering centre of the pitch at Old Trafford.

The 52-year-old has officially commenced duties at Manchester United and seems willing to sacrifice his summer to direct a rebuild at the club he hopes to take back to the very top.

The saga will make for true entertainment, though with Barcelona needing to sell to fuel their own ambitions, you would think that this debacle is heading one way.

In other news: Sources: Man United working on signing £25m-rated “leader“, he’s Ten Hag’s new De Ligt