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Moise Kean is eager for a return to Paris Saint-Germain to be tied up, according to French reporter Saber Desfarges. 

The lowdown

Everton loaned Kean to PSG for the 2020/21 season after a disappointing debut campaign on Merseyside yielded just two goals.

The 21-year-old rediscovered his form in France, scoring 13 times in just 22 Ligue 1 starts. Kean also helped PSG reach the semifinals of the Champions League with three goals, one of which came in the memorable 4-1 victory at the Camp Nou.

Champions League-winning manager Thomas Tuchel, who took charge of Kean until December, hailed him as a ‘courageous’ player.

According to Fabrizio Romano, PSG have been working on a fresh loan agreement for ‘months’ but are still ‘waiting’ on a decision from Everton and Rafael Benitez.

The latest

Desfarges was asked to provide the latest on Kean’s uncertain future by a PSG fan.

He replied that the Italian international is ‘impatient’ amid the prospect of ‘returning to Paris’.

The verdict

It looks as if Kean isn’t viewing the change of manager at Goodison Park as an opportunity to turn his Everton career around. Instead, his heart seems to be set on PSG.

The Blues’ best bet is probably to sanction another loan, but this time to include an obligation to buy at the end of it, ensuring this saga does not repeat all over again next summer.

They may still be able to turn a fairly handsome profit on the youthful forward, which would be a victory given his struggles in England and clear desire to leave Merseyside.

In other news, this Everton target’s price-tag has been described as ‘stupid’.  

Aston Villa continue to make moves in the January transfer window amid reports claiming they are closing in on the signing of Dundee United starlet Kerr Smith.

What’s the story?

Writing initially on Twitter, journalist Scott Burns said: “@dundeeunitedfc defender Kerr Smith heads south to finalise big-money move to @AVFCOfficial.”

Then, in a follow-up article for The Scottish Express Sport, he added: “Dundee United have agreed a deal to sell Kerr Smith to Aston Villa in a deal that could eventually net them close to £2 million. The English Premier League side have managed to negotiate a significant transfer fee up front along with a number of major add-ons for their in-demand academy graduate.

“Crystal Palace, Southampton, Everton and Chelsea were all interested in the 17-year-old but Steven Gerrard’s Villa have struck a deal with sporting director Tony Asghar. The teenager has now been given permission to travel south for a medical, to agree terms and finalise his dream move.

Gerrard will love him

While the likes of Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne will no doubt play a major part in Villa’s first team over the coming weeks and months, the arrival of Smith is one for the future.

Indeed, in that aforementioned article, Burns added: “Villa rate Smith as one of the best young defenders of his age in the United Kingdom and very much see him as one for the future. He will be integrated into their under-23 squad in the short-term.”

Already standing at 6 foot, the 17-year-old has had his taste of first-team football this season for United, playing five games in the Scottish Premiership, including playing the full 90 minutes of a 1-1 draw against Celtic.

Speaking in April of last year, fellow defender Mark Connolly said: “Kerr, who played beside me, was fantastic. He’s 16 years of age and it’s incredible.”

Given the kind of project Gerrard is embarking on at Villa Park, the signing of a hugely talented youngster like Smith is sure to have him buzzing.

With the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka and Jacob Ramsey seeing some game-time in recent weeks, it’s clear the new Villa boss is intent on giving young players the chance to shine if they deserve it.

It’s exactly why he will surely be loving the prospect of coaching someone like Smith at Villa.

Meanwhile, this Villa target could be joining their Premier League rivals…

As per Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, via Inside Futbol, an update has come to light on Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Torino defender Gleison Bremer.

The Lowdown: Centre-back eyed…

The signing of a central defender is reliably reported to be manager Antonio Conte and transfer chief Fabio Paratici’s top summer priority.

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Indeed, as backed by The Athletic, Tottenham are eager to bolster their options in that position, particularly on the left side of the three, with an array of transfer targets having already been shortlisted.

Bremer, who has been in fine form for Torino this season, is one of them as news from the continent emerges.

The Latest: Tottenham official dispatched…

According to Gazzetta (via IF), a Tottenham official was recently sent to run the rule over one of Serie A’s top defenders as Conte personally identifies him as a possible signing.

It is believed, however, that his club could demand around €50 million (£41m) for his services.

The Verdict: Worth the money?

The Brazilian, highly regarded by Italian football experts, is also attracting interest from the likes of Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, Leicester, Everton and Newcastle according to reports.

Amid the competition, his price could rise even further, but Bremer comes as a really promising target nonetheless and it’s no surprise to see him on Conte’s wanted list.

Averaging the second-highest match rating out of Torino’s squad on average, none of their players have made more clearances or interceptions per 90 in Serie A this season – backing his colossal defensive ability (WhoScored).

Ex-Forza Italian Football journalist Rajath Kumar has even described the 25-year-old as their ’emerging superstar’, and if Paratici opts to invest significantly in his signing, he could be a coup for Spurs.

In other news: Tottenham sources now believe they’re in pole position to seal ‘top signing’ for Conte! Find out more here.

Aston Villa have had a great start to their new era under Steven Gerrard, with an important win against Brighton this weekend, their first in five.

The former Rangers boss is no stranger to coming into teams and developing sides to suit his style of play and vision for success to build a winning mentality, which is something he proved he could do with Rangers.

Gerrard led his Rangers side to their first title in ten years, in an invincible season where they played 38 games, won 32, drew 6 and lost none.

We are already seeing glimpses of the Gerrard philosophy of play integrated into his new Aston Villa side, with Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins adopting the very same attacking tactics that the 41-year-old manager used with Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe.

Playing Watkins on the left and Ings through the middle, the pair interchanged and swapped positions throughout the clash with Brighton to confuse markers and gain more opportunity and space in front of goal, which is exactly how Gerrard set up his two goal scorers in his Rangers side too.

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding Gerrard and his former Rangers team, with Ryan Kent and now, Alfredo Morelos linked with moves to the Premier League club, with both players thriving in the system that their former manager adopted in his time at the Scottish club.

Gerrard spoke out about Alfredo Morelos when he was at Rangers, discussing the chances of the striker being picked up by another club;

“For me, we like working with him, we like the player, he scores goals. I still think he can get at a better level in a personal point of view and the goals will come, but in terms of decisions and where he will be in the long term it will be down to him and his representation rather than us because we’ve always shown that we want to keep the player, so all the noise around Alfredo comes from him and his people rather than us.”

His footballing abilities have been said to be “like a jungle cat” with AD San Carlos manager, Restrepo, saying;

“He was like a jungle cat who hadn’t been trained. He would use his speed and power to get into space and open up an opportunity but because he was moving so fast and so powerfully he couldn’t finish.”

Aston Villa could make the £10.8m-rated bully their first signing in January as they seek to secure points and stay away from the relegation zone in the second half of the season.

There is no doubt that Morelos could add an attacking threat and goals to the side, with his experience playing under Gerrard and in a winning system for the Liverpudlian manager.

Should he join and continue to score at the rate he has in Glasgow with 101 goals to his name, he would be an awe-inspiring signing, one that could ensure they remain in the top-flight of English football.

In other news: Jacob Ramsey could be Steven Gerrard’s Grealish

Transfer insider Graeme Bailey has now revealed some news involving reported Newcastle United target Nico Schlotterbeck.

The Lowdown: January target

It was reported that the St. James’ Park faithful were eyeing up a move for Schlotterbeck in the January transfer window, but a move from Freiburg never materialised in the end.

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Instead, they signed Dan Burn from Brighton and Hove Albion, but could be in the market for another central defender in the summer, as per 90min.

The Latest: Dortmund bound

Sharing his article on Twitter, Bailey has revealed that the North East club will now ‘miss out’ on signing Schlotterbeck this summer, as he is set to sign for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga:

“Newcastle miss out on signing of Nico Schlotterbeck,” the journalist said.

“Outstanding young German international did have interest in moving to Tyneside, but Borussia Dortmund were a bigger lure at this point.”

The Verdict: Shame

It is a shame that the Magpies have seemingly missed out on one of their targets in Schlotterbeck.

The 22-year-old is clearly a top prospect, having broken into the Germany national team last month, and his performances in the Bundesliga have merited a move to a big club like Dortmund.

He currently ranks as Freiburg’s best performer in the Bundesliga so far this season, and is high among his teammates in terms of average aerial duels, tackles, interceptions, clearances and blocks won per match (WhoScored).

Schlotterbeck would have been a shrewd signing for Eddie Howe and his team, but it looks like they will have to advance further in the long-term project if they are to beat big clubs to their respective targets.

In other news, find out which ‘special, special’ ex-Magpie NUFC are now targeting here!

Everton striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin has suffered a potential setback in his recovery from injury, posing further selection headaches for manager Rafa Benitez.

What’s the word?

The England international hasn’t featured since the 2-0 victory over Brighton and Hove Albion on 28 August due to a broken toe and thigh problem.

Although the Toffees are yet to name an exact date for Calvert-Lewin’s expected comeback, there are growing concerns over a setback in his recovery.

A recent report in the Liverpool ECHO expressed such worries, claiming the versatile attacker could be on the treatment table for up to three months.

The report states that: “Rafa Benitez had hoped to be in a position to recall Calvert-Lewin to the squad in the coming weeks, but it is believed the 24-year-old may have suffered complications in his rehabilitation.

“Everton were asked about Calvert-Lewin’s fitness by the ECHO, but the club have yet to respond. There are some fears that the No9 could be sidelined for up to 12 weeks, but there is hope his absence will not be as long as that.”

Rafa Benitez surely devastated

News that Calvert-Lewin could face an extended spell on the sidelines will surely leave Benitez feeling absolutely devastated.

He has been their star man for a considerable period of time now, bagging 21 times last season and scoring three goals in his opening three outings this term. That was sandwiched by a place in England’s Euro 2020 squad as he played second fiddle to Harry Kane in the Three Lions side that reached the final a few months ago.

A fast start to the season from Everton is threatening to be unravelled due to a series of injuries to several key players, with midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure the latest to pick up a fresh problem.

The Goodison Park outfit suffered their first home defeat of the campaign last time out against West Ham United, and Benitez must fear more underwhelming results are inevitable as the list of absentees continues to grow.

And, in other news…Everton could be hit with a hammer blow after concerning report, fans surely worried 

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has revealed that Aston Villa striker Wesley will be leaving the club on loan in this summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Brazilian missed Dean Smith’s side’s 6-0 thrashing of Barrow in the Carabao Cup second round, and it now appears that he missed the game due to an imminent move away.

And now, in a tweet posted after Villa’s victory over the League Two side, Evans revealed that the striker will now be heading back to Belgium to join Club Bruges on a season-long loan.

Villa fans will be worried

While Danny Ings’ arrival certainly puts Wesley down the pecking order at Villa Park, it’s a bit of a questionable decision from Smith to let the Brazilian go this summer, even on a temporary basis.

Ollie Watkins was a man of steel last season in the Premier League, only missing the one match all campaign, but whether that level of fitness can hold up for a second successive campaign remains to be seen.

Add to that the fact Ings missed several games last season for Southampton with a knee injury, and of course has ruptured his ACL previously, and Villa could be left really short up front if they suffer some misfortune.

Standing at 6 foot 3, and with a real aerial presence, he offers something completely different to the hard running and movement of Watkins, and gives Villa a different dimension either to come off the bench or even to start when Smith wants to rest his main striker.

With Keinan Davis also already gone out on loan, Smith is certainly taking a gamble by letting another one of his squad options go before deadline day closes.

Villa fans may be very worried if Wesley departs, and the club suffer some injury problems – especially considering Watkins has already missed some game-time already this campaign.

Meanwhile, Villa are plotting a late swoop for this star…

Everton could make a move for Brentford centre-back Pontus Jansson in January, according to The Guardian’s Ed Aarons. 

The lowdown

Rafael Benitez is keen to strengthen his defence at the first opportunity after seeing his team concede 28 goals in their first 16 matches. Only Watford, Norwich City and Newcastle United have a poorer defensive record in the Premier League.

Everton already have Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate on their books as centre-back options, but Godfrey has had to move to full-back in recent games after Lucas Digne fell out with the manager, while Mina is struggling with injury.

Jansson’s £25,000-per-week contract is up at the end of the current campaign and his estimated market value has fallen to £4.5m (via Transfermarkt). Intriguingly, the Sweden international has been likened to a Bond ‘villain’ by his manager Thomas Frank, who also noted the 30-year-old’s “swagger and confidence”.

The latest

According to Aarons in The Guardian, Jansson is wanted by Everton when the transfer window opens in the new year. He has caught the eye with his ‘outstanding’ performances for the Bees, who are halfway to 40 points after just 16 matches in their first Premier League season.

Leicester City and Newcastle are also admirers of the Swede, and while Jansson’s contract situation theoretically puts Brentford in a weak position, they would most likely ask for a ‘hefty fee’ in January.

The verdict

Could Jansson help to shore up Everton’s defence? His individual stats are solid but unspectacular, averaging 4.8 clearances and 1.4 interceptions per game while winning 58% of his ground duels and 51% of his aerial battles (via SofaScore). To add some context to those figures, Mina has won 79% of his duels overall.

However, it should also be noted that Jansson is the captain of Brentford, so maybe Benitez would value his leadership in the heart of the backline.

Would this be a smart move? It all depends on the extent to which the Bees intend to play hardball in January. Everton should only look to sign the 30-year-old on a cut-price deal considering his age and his performance stats in relation to current options at the club.

In other news, many Everton fans were buzzing over this news from the club

Manchester United managed to perform one of the most unconvincing wins of the Premier League season yesterday against Norwich, and whilst three points will be very much welcomed by the fans, there is clearly so much work to do at Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo managed to win a penalty in the 75th minute of the game that allowed the Red Devils to walk away from Carrow Road with three points, but the performance, in general, was flat and Jamie Redknapp scathed the team for their lack of effort after the game.

He told Sky Sports, via The Daily Mail:

“From United’s point of view, this is what I expect from them at the moment there’s a few problems with the system, set-up, it will take time for the manager to bed in what he wants and it’s going to be a case of giving him weeks or months to do that as a lot of United players have bad habits.”

One player who stuck out in the game is Bruno Fernandes, with a performance the Portuguese star will want to forget.

Pundit, Paul Merson, suggested Fernandes has become a bit of a problem, commenting:

“He’s lost confidence. When you lose confidence it doesn’t matter who you are – we all lose confidence – it’s a different game.

“He’s not touching the ball in the game now, he’s not touching it 60, 70 or 80 times.

“Everything went through Fernandes, everything. It’s not that case now, everyone’s looking for Ronaldo now. This needs to change.”

The £180k-per-week midfielder has flopped this season when you compare it to the season he had last year where he was the stand out star at Man United that lead to the side finishing second in the Premier League.

In the 2020/21 season, Fernandes scored record-breaking achievement for the midfielder, who was expected to emulate this season in the current one with his Portuguese teammate, Ronaldo, joining the side in the summer. Instead, he’s only registered three assists all campaign so far in the league.

Ralf Rangnick is currently setting up with a 4-2-2-2 and it may be wise to axe Fernandes in the upcoming game on Tuesday against Brentford by trying Donny Van De Beek and Jadon Sancho in the two behind the strike force. It would give the Portuguese midfielder either a rest or a realisation that he needs to start picking up his performances.

Fernandes is struggling to find consistency in his game, although he does have 26 times against Norwich on Saturday.

In other news: Magpies ‘make contact’ with Manchester United over Jesse Lingard

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has delivered an update on Leeds United’s pursuit of Club Brugge starlet Noa Lang in this summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from The Telegraph, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been been watching the 21-year-old, although they are set to face intense competition to try and land him.

And now, writing on Twitter, Hay said: “They like Lang and that’s a genuine link but they haven’t actually made a concrete move for him.”

The journalist did however leave the door open to a potential move for a new winger later on in the transfer window though, by adding: “Hard to say. It’s been floated all summer but was always a case of doing it if the right option came up at the right price.”

Bielsa would love him

Able to play anywhere across the frontline, Lang has shown he has a real eye for goal in his loan spell at Brugge last season, bagging 17 goals and providing a further 11 assists in just 37 games, including netting in the Champions League.

With the volume of goals and assists that Lang delivered last season, and with him still being very much in the infancy of his career, a move for the youngster would surely be the kind of exciting one that has Bielsa buzzing.

Called a “phenomenon” by Belgian journalist Peter Vandenbempt, the winger made history when he became the first player in 60 years to mark his debut with a hat-trick for Ajax, while his teammate at Brugge, Cyriel Dessers, has insisted that Lang is ready to shine in English football, even backing Leeds’ interest in him.

He said: “He is absolutely ready for the Premier League. He was fantastic last season. Then it is logical that there is a next step.  I would love to see him in the Champions League with Club Brugge, but he has shown that he is one of the best footballers in Belgium.

“He is a graceful footballer, but he also works very hard. I often sat on the bench, so I could keep an eye on him there. But the way he works, I didn’t know he had that in him. He has really taken a step. The interest does not come out of nowhere. I know how Leeds work.”

Victor Orta should be pulling out the chequebook and making a move for the £19.8m-rated Lang before the close of the transfer window this summer.

With his versatility, end product and willingness to work hard too, Lang fits the Bielsa bill to an absolute tee, and the Leeds boss would surely love to have him at Elland Road.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay reveals Leeds United’s summer transfer plans…