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Celtic are interested in signing Rennes striker M’Baye Niang, according to Foot Mercato reporter Sebastien Denis.

The Lowdown: Niang profiled

Niang has been with Rennes since 2019 and is under contract until 2023. He’s primarily a centre-forward but can also play out wide on either side.

The 26-year-old has scored 67 goals during his career for club and country and is currently valued at £4.05m by Transfermarkt after his market valuation plummeted from £13.5m in August 2020.

Niang, who is on £62,000-a-week with the Ligue 1 side, is attracting interest from clubs in four different countries.

The Latest: Denis’ tweet

Denis posted on Twitter on Thursday evening on Niang. He claimed that Serie A side Venezia are ‘very hot’ on Niang, with Celtic, Fenerbahce and Shanghai Shenhua all ‘interested’, but to a lesser degree.

“As reported in Italy, the Italian team from Venezia is very very hot on M’baye Niang for a dry transfer. Fenerbahce, Celtic Glasgow and Shanghai are interested in the Rennes striker but to a lesser degree.”

The Verdict: A gamble

Celtic’s reported interest in Niang could be due to Odsonne Edouard’s stance on his Parkhead future.

The French forward still wants to leave Celtic Park after his move to Leicester City fell through, but bringing in Niang could be a gamble.

His wage in France is over three times the amount of Celtic’s highest earner, Callum McGregor, and his form last season didn’t represent that of a player on £62,000-a-week.

Niang scored just once in 17 appearances in all competitions, so perhaps Celtic would be better off looking elsewhere for attacking reinforcements.

In other news: £5.4m-rated club captain admits he would ‘immediately’ sign for Celtic; he’s on £18,000-a-week. 

Sheffield Wednesday have agreed to let Liam Shaw cut his Sheffield Wednesday deal short by two weeks in order to join Celtic [Sheffield Star].

Of course, Shaw signed a pre-contract with the Glasgow giants back in February [The Scottish Sun].

Seeing out the 2020/21 campaign at the Owls, the midfielder was originally scheduled to head north of the border upon the expiration of his contract on July 1st [Sheffield Star].

However, reports have now emanated that indicate the Sky Bet League one side chose to terminate his deal imminently, in return for a swift compensation fee said to be around the £300,000 mark [Sheffield Star].

The boyhood Wednesday fan was officially unveiled at as a Celtic player yesterday [CeltsAreHere]. Nevertheless, receiving an instantaneous financial bonus will provide a positive boost for the Hillsborough faithful.

No wonder many Sheffield Wednesday diehards took to Twitter to voice their opinion on recent events.

Sheffield Wednesday fans react:

Here is how some of the Sheffield Wednesday faithful summarized their feelings upon hearing the news:

“So we get paid, and don’t pay a player during the period he’s not playing…dare I say it, but was that sensible business from Wednesday?”

Credit: @HatScarfShirt”That’s 3,000 2019/20 ST refunds #swfc”Credit: @DaddyIbbo”If true, it’s the cleverest financial move DC has made in years at the club.”Credit: @NJBanbury”Good move by the club that, especially given the cash flow issues, making the most of the (self-afflicted) bad situation.”Credit: @ploehmann”Still, shows some positive thinking and ability to engage and negotiate with others. It all is starting to feel a bit different. I’m worried I’m feeling optimistic, I’d forgotten that feeling. Shaw will do well at Celtic I’m sure, very happy for him”Credit: @YesWeCrann”Interesting. Didn’t know they were able to do this. Smart move for both clubs and the player. We move on”Credit: @MattSummerhillIn other news, a Liverpool duo could miss crucial 2021/22 fixtures.

Mauricio Pochettino could sensationally return to Tottenham Hotspur this summer.

That is the latest claim from The Sun, who suggested that the 49-year-old is considering a switch back to Spurs following a disappointing spell in charge of French giants Paris Saint-Germain.

The Ligue 1 outfit have squandered the title to Lille and were also knocked out of the Champions League in the semi-finals, whilst Daniel Levy is said to be considering a ploy to lure his former manager back to N17.

Spurs’ chairman is said to have admitted to close friends that sacking the Argentine was the worst mistake of his career to date – rather damning if true.

Pochettino would undoubtedly be welcomed back with open arms, although it remains to be seen whether he’s a viable candidate.

According to football.london’s Alasdair Gold, if his situation changes at PSG and he “showed interest”, he would then “come into the frame”, especially considering that he has the “ideal candidate profile” for the job.

Not only would his return appease much of the Lilywhites fanbase, many of whom have been seen protesting against Levy and the club’s owners ENIC in recent weeks, it could also give them a massive boost in their bid to keep hold of star striker Harry Kane.

Recently, the England talisman waxed lyrical about Pochettino and the relationship between the pair to Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville for The Overlap YouTube channel.

“[Pochettino] was the perfect guy for me to come into because we worked so hard, training was so tough,” said Kane, before adding: “We built up a real good relationship. We understood each other, not just football but personal as well. We had some great years and great moments and obviously would’ve loved to have won something with him, won a trophy with him. It didn’t quite happen but I will always cherish the relationship and the years we had together for sure.”

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-managerial-updates-transfer-news-rumours-gossip-and-more-levy-kane-enic” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, managerial gossip, transfer rumours and more!”]

Sky Sports believe that Kane has asked Spurs if he can leave the club this summer, putting the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea on high alert.

The 27-year-old desperately wants to win trophies as he enters the peak of his already goal-laden career and was thought to have made a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ with Levy to stay to try and achieve that under Jose Mourinho.

Pochettino wouldn’t instantly bring Spurs a piece of silverware if he were to return. After all, he failed to do so in five years at the club but, truth be told, they overachieved with him in control, which included making the Champions League final two years ago.

If he were backed in the transfer market the same way that Mourinho was, there’s every chance he could then take Spurs to the next level, and you’d imagine the relationship that Kane and Pochettino have would be enough to keep the striker in N17 for at least one last hoorah.

Names such as Graham Potter and Roberto Martinez are surely going to push him out the exit door.

If Pochettino is the “ideal candidate,” then the Spurs hierarchy must shelve their pride and correct their mistake. In doing so, they could have a fighting chance of keeping their superstar striker.

AND in other news, Levy risks more fury if Spurs appoint “very stubborn” 62 y/o who “would like” the job…

It was not the season that either Wolves or Matt Doherty had hoped for as the Midlands club finished 13th and the wing-back finished the season having been handed just 13 Premier League starts at Tottenham, so Wolves legend Steve Bull has refused to rule out a potential reunion this summer.

Nelson Semedo was Wolves’ second most expensive signing last summer but turned out to be one of their most underwhelming players after failing to emulate Doherty’s importance at Wolves, with the Portuguese international managing just one goal and assist.

There have been links suggesting that Doherty could find himself back at Molineux, however with Jose Mourinho now having left Tottenham Hotspur and Nuno Espirito Santo now not at Molineux, that move would appear more difficult to do.

Doherty was a firm fan favourite during his time at Wolves having been with the club from 2010 and his absence has truly been felt, especially in the final third, but Bull has claimed that a reunion could be on the cards this summer, as he explained exclusively to The Transfer Tavern:

“We might go back in for Doherty, you never know because we might try and get him on loan, who knows?

“I think there will be plenty of options but I think we need to look at centre midfield and up front to strengthen our squad.”

Something that could prove to be a stumbling block before discussions even start, is that one of Spurs’ other right-backs, Serge Aurier, has reportedly already agreed a deal to leave the club this summer, therefore seeing them allow two right-backs to leave would be unlikely.

Both Wolves and Spurs are still on the hunt for a new manager with Nuno Espirito Santo’s departure coming as much more of a shock to everyone associated with the club.

Former Tottenham Hotspur hero Graham Roberts insists that Tanguy Ndombele needs to leave the club this summer after failing to adapt to life in the Premier League.

Ndombele endured a difficult season at Spurs in the 2020/21 season under the management of Jose Mourinho.

The £200,000-a-week France international made a total of 28 starts in the Premier League but completed the 90 minutes just six times.

In total, he scored three goals and laid on two assists in the league and he remains the most expensive player to ever join the club, with the north London side having paid £53.8m to bring him in from Lyon two summers ago.

Roberts, though, remains unconvinced by the talents of the 24-year-old, who signed a long-term contract and is tied to the club until 2025.

He is valued at £45m by Transfermarkt and reports have suggested that he is being eyed by Real Madrid, who appear to have been convinced by his talents.

And Roberts thinks he ought to move away from the club in a bid to relaunch his career.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “I think Ndombele needs to move on because I think he can’t get the pace of the Premier League.”

David Moyes has confirmed that West Ham United will still be without Manuel Lanzini this evening…

What’s the latest?

The Irons face former boss Sam Allardyce and his relegated West Brom side in a crucial Premier League encounter towards their hopes of qualifying for Europe.

They know that four points from their final two matches should be enough to see them into either the Europa League or the newly-formed Conference League.

However, the East Londoners will be without the services of the Argentinian midfielder after Moyes delivered a fresh update on his injury situation.

He told reporters in his pre-game press conference, via football.london:

“We still have a problem with Manuel Lanzini, but most of them are okay.”

Crushing setback

The 58-year-old has contended with injury problems all campaign but more recently, further issues have caused the Hammers to stumble in their tracks, with several key players facing time on the sidelines.

Stars such as Declan Rice, Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell and Michail Antonio have all missed matches recently, so it is no coincidence that they have won just once in their last five league outings.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-west-ham-news-transfer-rumours-and-the-latest-gossip” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

It’s hard to get any consistency going when your starting XI is continuously being decimated.

Lanzini is by no means a regular starter under Moyes this season, playing a total of 17 matches in the top-flight, but he made a massive statement with his solid display against Burnley in the absence of the aforementioned England international.

His versatility to play deeper, as well as out wide, and through the middle surely makes him an interesting weapon for Moyes to have at his disposal.

The 28-year-old, who is valued at £9m by Transfermarkt, was withdrawn two minutes before half-time against Everton last week, suggesting that it could be quite a serious injury.

ExWHUemployee has since made his own claims, believing that Lanzini could well miss the final game of the season too, only adding to Moyes’ injury woes.

AND in other news, Moyes must unleash £18m-rated West Ham “magician” vs WBA, could be a big game-changer…

Former Manchester United man Keith Gillespie has told Football FanCast that he hopes Paul Pogba remains at the club next season as they look to challenge Manchester City.

The France international was in sublime form against Tottenham Hotspur earlier in April, laying on two superb assists, though only one counted after Edinson Cavani’s first goal was ruled out after Son Heung-Min was adjudged to have been fouled by Scott McTominay.

Pogba also registered an assist in games against Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley, but there are some concerns over his future, with his contract expiring.

Pogba’s deal ends at the end of next season and that means he could be set to leave for nothing at the end of the 2022/23 season.

He has been linked away, with Italian newspaper TuttoSport, via The Sun, linking him with a potential return to Juventus, the club he joined United from.

Gillespie, though, believes that Pogba needs to stay if United are to have any chance of challenging City for the Premier League title next season.

He hopes that the 28-year-old can remain fit for the duration of the season, having missed six matches with a hamstring injury prior to the clash with Brighton.

Gillespie told FFC: “I’d like to see him stay at Man United. You think about a fully fit Paul Pogba.

“You know, he’s had his injury problems that season, but if Paul Pogba was fully fit for a season and was playing at the top of this game, gosh, that’s going to really help any club.”

Gillespie also thinks that United need a striker if they are to complete their squad, with United currently 10 points behind Pep Guardiola’s side with five games of the campaign remaining.

He added: “You add in them maybe signing that striker that they do need, then they look a really, really good side, with a few tweaks here and there, defensively, and then you think, well, now’s the time maybe they may be able to come up against Man City, who for me are still way out in front of anybody else at the minute.”

Wayne Rooney is considering a move to bring Celtic loanee Shane Duffy to Derby County this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that Rooney would be interested in signing the defender in the event that his side survive relegation from the Championship this season.

It is reported that the centre-back’s parent club, Brighton & Hove Albion, are not interested in reintegrating the 29-year-old back into their squad, with Graham Potter thought to be happy to loan the defender out once again this summer.

Rooney should avoid move

Despite the signing of Duffy appearing something of a coup for Celtic at the beginning of this season, a belief that was only compounded by the defender scoring two goals in his first two appearances for the club, in the time since, the Brighton man has proven to be a huge flop at Parkhead.

While the £40,000-per-week centre-back’s statistics have not by any means been shocking over his 18 appearances in the Scottish Premiership – making an average of 1.2 interceptions, 0.8 tackles and 4.3 clearances per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 7.23 – these metrics are likely to be inflated somewhat due to the level of opposition the defender has been up against.

Indeed, when comparing these metrics to those of Duffy’s when playing for the Bhoys in the Europa League – in which the £6.3 million-rated man averaged a SofaScore match rating of just 6.38 – it is clear that, when faced with more capable opposition, the Republic of Ireland international is just not up to the task.

Furthermore, Duffy has also come under fire on multiple occasions for his individual errors over the course of the season, with Tom English slamming the 29-year-old’s “catalogue of catastrophic mistakes,” while Kris Boyd dubbed his defending as “pathetic.”

As such, considering the fact that Derby have shipped a considerable amount of goals themselves this season, it would be highly advisable for the Rams to avoid a move for Duffy this summer, as, as recent evidence would suggest, he is certainly not the man to shore up a leaky backline, and his signing should leave fans of the club furious.

If he’s not been up to the task in Scotland, he is not the man to help Derby in the Championship next season, if they can survive the drop.

In other news: Rooney must avoid Derby swoop for 29 y/o flop who “plays like he’s on roller-skates” – opinion

A source from Newcastle United has dropped a bombshell ahead of the opening of the summer window.

The Lowdown: Transfer window awaits

The summer transfer window is fast approaching, with the St. James’ Park faithful looking to bring in some good additions as well as shift deadwood in order to have the best squad possible to compete in the 2021/22 Premier League season.

Joe Willock is likely to be a player that they will look to try and sign on a permanent deal from Arsenal given his impact in the North East, while other players, namely Andy Carroll and Dwight Gayle for example, face uncertain futures.

The Latest: Transfer bombshell dropped

Football Insider revealed a “bombshell” on Tuesday evening – Mike Ashley is refusing to spend big while talks over a potential takeover of the Tyneside club by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group continue.

A source from the Magpies has told the news outlet that the board have now passed on the message to Steve Bruce that he will only have a transfer budget of between £8-10m to work with.

That would rule out the possibility of signing Willock permanently as the Gunners are thought to want closer to £20m, while quite frankly it is just a ridiculously low transfer kitty for an established top flight side in 2021.

The Verdict: Transfer blow

If the Toon only have a mere £8-10m to spend in the market, then that really is a big blow.

Not only would they likely miss out on Willock unless they could raise funds by selling other players, but it means that they would hardly be able to compete in the market against their fellow rivals in the top flight, despite the financial impact of the global pandemic.

NUFC will really want to kick on next season with fans back in the ground, but this latest piece of news will surely not appease them one bit, and now a takeover cannot come soon enough.

In other news, find out what ‘fascinating’ takeover insight a sports lawyer has dropped here!

Many West Ham United fans have expressed their desire to sign Yangel Herrera as Goal have reported that they are monitoring his situation.

As per the news outlet, Southampton and a number of clubs in La Liga are also monitoring the situation of the Granada midfield player, who is currently on loan from Manchester City.

Herrera has been such a key player for Granada so far in the 2020/21 term, guiding them to a UEFA Europa League quarter-final against Manchester United and playing in a total of 39 games in all competitions, scoring eight goals and making a further two assists (Transfermarkt).

The Venezuela international would certainly give David Moyes’ team another good option in the middle of the park, and at just 23 years of age, still has a lot of room to grow.

West Ham fans on Herrera transfer update

These Hammers supporters lauded the transfer update on Herrera on Twitter, with one Irons fan even going as far as to claim that he would be a perfect signing’ while another dubbed him as a potential ‘Noble replacement’:

“He’s class, if we got into Europe would be a great signing. I don’t think he would settle for being back up would need guaranteed play time!”

Credit: @hammersupsates

“Yes please”

Credit: @dylanburd3n

“Get him in!!”

Credit: @szn_bowen

“Noble replacement.”

Credit: @Nathanbi77

“It would be one of the most memorable days in my life if it happens. To see a compatriot wearing #ClaretBlue #WHUFC will be a blast. Don’t you think @MartilloCalvin?”

Credit: @zedtler

“He’s decent, perfect signing for backup”

Credit: @danielluker_

In other news, find out who ExWHUemployee has claimed is WHUFC’s top striker target here!