According to a report from The Express and Star, West Brom defender Ahmed Hegazi has a £10 million release clause in his contract. The Egypt international was one of a few shining lights in an otherwise disastrous Premier League campaign for the Baggies last season and has subsequently attracted interest from top-flight side West Ham, who for £10 million must seek to seal a bargain deal for the centre back.

The Breakdown

The 27-year-old defender only made the move to the Hawthorns last summer in a bid to strengthen the centre back ranks at the Midlands outfit ahead of the 2017/18 season, and while he did his bit in starting in all 38 Premier League games, he wasn’t able to keep the Baggies in the top tier.

However, his efforts didn’t go unnoticed and Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham are one side reportedly keen on extending his stay in the Premier League, with the Egyptian star seemingly an upgrade on current Hammers defender Winston Reid.

Yes, the 30-year-old has been a magnificent servant to the East London outfit since his move there back in 2010, appearing 223 times for the club in the last eight years, but he wasn’t at his best last term to suggest that he may be past his best.

And if West Ham are serious about moving to the next level under new boss Pellegrini, they have to be much better defensively this season, having shipped 68 goals in their 38 games last term (interestingly, that was 12 more than Hegazi’s West Brom).

And with Jose Fonte leaving the club back in January and James Collins’ contract at an end this summer, the Hammers will surely be on the lookout for further defensive reinforcements to add to the signing of youngster Issa Diop last month – Hegazi fits the bill.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here

The 27-year-old is aerially very strong but also has great positional awareness and strength in the tackle, while he also came up with key goals for West Brom in victory over Bournemouth and defeat to Southampton to underline his threat in the opposition penalty area.

And at three years younger than Reid, adding Hegazi would also be a greater nod to the long term, and for a reported £10 million, it could turn out to be an absolute bargain if the Egyptian replicates his form from last season.

Thus, the Hammers must seek to seal a deal for the 27-year-old Baggies star in a bid to upgrade on centre back Reid, who didn’t enjoy his best season last time round.

West Ham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

When West Ham moved from Upton Park to the London Stadium, supporters were promised that the team would be competing in or at least challenging for European football. The West Ham board, however, are yet to deliver and looking at some of the club’s recent signings, it is to no surprise. Though Javier Hernandez is one of a couple exceptions.

The Verdict

To the disappointment of West Ham fans, the east London club have failed to pick up from their successful 2015/16 campaign where the team finished 7th and qualified for the Europa League. Since then, Slaven Bilic has been sacked while David Moyes has come and gone.

Manuel Pellegrini is now the man in the London Stadium dugout and, since he has been at the helm, the West Ham hierarchy have targeted some big players including Javier Pastore, Felipe Anderson, Jean-Michael Seri and Jack Wilshere.

West Ham’s squad could certainly do with players of the quality above but, in Hernandez, Pellegrini already has a very efficient weapon in his arsenal.

Hernandez’s move from Bayer Leverkusen to West Ham has not exactly worked out; the 30-year-old has struggled to adapt to the style of football both Bilic and Moyes had the Hammers playing.

£13.5m-rated (via Transfermarkt) Hernandez, though, is one of the best finishers in the Premier League and in a more attacking system where plenty of chances are going to be created – something Pellegrini has promised – the Mexico international could easily hit 15 league goals and fire West Ham into Europe.

Marko Arnautovic spent most of last season as West Ham’s first-choice No.9 but, under Pellegrini, Hernandez will fancy his chances leading the line in a system that is expected to be more offensive and less long-ball oriented.

Ultimately, on top of new quality additions, Pellegrini must look to keep Hernandez at the London Stadium.

Garry Monk has an interest in reuniting with Middlesbrough striker Britt Assombalonga at Birmingham City, according to the Northern Echo.

What’s the story, then?

The report says that the Blues would have to fight off competition from divisional rivals Leeds United and Swansea City to land the hitman, who Monk brought to the Riverside Stadium last summer in a bumper deal.

Birmingham will be encouraged by the report stating that Assombalonga’s former club Nottingham Forest have been put off a pursuit because they have just signed Lewis Grabban.

The report also states that Assombalonga has had a pre-season bust-up with Boro boss Tony Pulis, who also relegated the frontman down the pecking order following his December appointment.

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Assombalonga would be a massive coup

Assombalonga scores goals at this level. He was injured and out of favour at Boro and still hit 15 league goals last season.

He would completely transform Birmingham’s current one-paced, predictable attack, offering pace in behind and a genuine goal threat in the box.

The chances look slim that he would come but the Monk factor would surely be huge and the duo would be looking to prove Middlesbrough wrong together.

Rafael Benitez is the one major factor that has kept Newcastle United fans happy over the past 12 months.

The hatred towards club owner Mike Ashley remains due to the continuous lack of transfer funds.

With just over three weeks left until the transfer window closes, the club have spent very little cash.

Martin Dubravka signed a permanent deal, while Ki Sung-Yeung joined on a free transfer and Kenedy has arrived on another season-long loan.

Understandably, Newcastle fans want more, but a nugget of news has revealed that the summer could have been going much worse.

According to The Chronicle, the North-East outfit were open to allowing Benitez to coach Spain at the World Cup in Russia.

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The manager’s home nation had a major disruption on the eve of the tournament when the Spanish Football Federation dismissed coach Julen Lopetegui after he agreed to take over at Real Madrid.

It is believed that a temporary arrangement would have been proposed, but it never came to pass.

This revelation has riled up some Newcastle fans.

Chelsea are eager for their summer spending to take off following the appointment of Maurizio Sarri.

The ex-Napoli boss was finally announced as Chelsea’s new manager recently following months of intense speculation before Antonio Conte was given his marching orders. The Italian guided Napoli to second place finishes twice in three years and arrives in London with a glowing reputation. One of the stars of his Napoli side, namely Jorginho, has already followed Sarri to Stamford Bridge this summer.

There is plenty of work to be done if Sarri is to transform Chelsea into a title challenging outfit again. Missing out on Champions League football may have had devastating consequences with many star players set to leave. Both Thibaut Courtois and N’Golo Kante have been linked with high-profile exits, while Eden Hazard has been lined up by Real Madrid to replace Cristiano Ronaldo.

Should Hazard depart, Chelsea simply need to sign PSV Eindhoven winger Hirving Lozano to replace him. Valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, the Mexican enjoyed a stellar season during his first year in Europe. He bagged an incredible 17 league goals as well as registering 11 assists for his team-mates from just 29 appearances in the Dutch Eredivisie.

The 22-year-old showcased his talents at the World Cup, scoring once as Mexico defeated Germany in the group stage. His tremendous pace and excellent dribbling ability made him a feared opponent in Russia, and the quality he demonstrated suggests he could tear the Premier League apart in Hazard’s place.

Lozano is still young and has plenty of time to develop as a player. Under Sarri’s tutelage, the former Pachuca man could be a huge Premier League star.

Chelsea fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

According to the Independent, Chelsea are ready to launch a bid for Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

Having already signed Jorginho this summer, new Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri looks set to strengthen his midfield contingent at Stamford Bridge further with the addition of the Serbian powerhouse.

Milinkovic-Savic is coming off the back of a spectacular breakout campaign in Serie A which saw him find the net 12 times and produce a host of commanding midfield displays in the Italian top flight.

According to the above report, the 23-year-old is keen to join the Blues this summer for the opportunity to work with Sarri. That could be a player/manager match made in heaven, and Chelsea should go all out to land the Lazio man during this transfer window.

The Breakdown

The prospect of a midfield triumvirate of N’Golo Kante, Jorginho and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, all operating within Sarri’s preferred 4-3-3 formation, ought to be a mouthwatering one for Blues fans.

Collectively, that trio form a great balance of essential midfield attributes. Kante’s defensive discipline and awareness, and Jorginho’s technical brilliance and distribution, should all combine to perfectly complement Milinkovic-Savic’s physicality and directness.

Those three together would produce a defensively solid and highly creative midfield unit also capable of posing a genuine goal threat and playing sustained possession-based football.

Transfermarkt value Milinkovic-Savic at £81 million. It would take a huge bid on the part of the Blues to bring the 6’4” man to the Premier League, but if Roman Abramovich can raise the funds then he could find no better way to spend them.

Fulham fans are surely happy with the club’s business so far but they know that to stay in the Premier League, two signings won’t be enough, no matter how good they turn out to be. 

Jean Michael Seri and Maxime Le Marchand have been the only signings so far and although Fulham fans are thrilled with the former Nice duo, they want other new faces in order to feel ready for their Premier League return. Despite not exactly setting the Premier League alight, Adnan Januzaj could thrive in the top flight now having been absent from England for a few seasons now.

The Belgian international has been playing for Real Sociedad and last season scored 4 goals and provided 6 assists for his team-mates. As well as this impressive league form, his call-up to Belgian’s World Cup squad was justified when the winger scored a beauty against England in his countries 1-0 victory. Januzaj is still only 23-years-old and could well prove to Manchester United that they were premature in selling him because he does have a lot of talent to offer a side like Fulham.

Adnan Januzaj can play on either wing, providing the defence with confusion as to whether he cuts in or goes wide to provide his team-mates with crosses. Considering his reasonable valuation of £13.5 million on Transfermarkt, Fulham would be crazy not to think about a bid for the former United youth prodigy just because he couldn’t make it at Old Trafford.

Would a move for Januzaj be sensible for Fulham… Let us know!

Rangers have undergone a major transformation under the watch of Steven Gerrard this summer as 10 new faces have walked through the doors at Ibrox. Indeed, with the Liverpool legend now in charge, Gers fans all around the world must be looking forward to the new campaign with a serious level of excitement. 

Optimism is abound at Ibrox and the captures of players such as Scott Arfield, Ryan Kent and Connor Goldson will have gone down as major coups in Scotland though recent transfer links aren’t nearly as exciting. According to the Daily Record, the club are relaxed about making another move for Kyle Lafferty, having seen their opening bid rejected by Hearts.

Lafferty, while a decent striker at this level, isn’t a player Gerrard should be moving for. There is another striker touted with a move to Scotland who should be targeted instead, in keeping with the exciting nature of Rangers’ other signings this summer.

Birmingham City striker Greg Stewart is understood to be of interest to the likes of Hearts and Aberdeen having struggled in England, though would surely be a more dynamic option at Ibrox than Lafferty.

The former Dundee man fared fairly well on loan at Pittodrie despite his lack of goals for the Dons. Rangers’ current strike force boasts the likes of Umar Saqid, Jamie Murphy, Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent, so there are certainly goals there already. Instead of Lafferty, the could do with someone like Stewart to hold the ball, bringing their vast array of varied attackers into play.

With the Dons themselves understood to be keen on the man rated £495k by Transfermarkt, Rangers should hijack a move.

According to a recent report from The Daily Mirror, Everton are eyeing up a late summer move for defender Kurt Zouma. The 23-year-old currently plays his football at fellow Premier League side Chelsea after making the move to Stamford Bridge back in 2014, although he spent the entirety of last season on loan at Stoke City given his lowly position in the pecking order at the West London club. 

And with that seeming to be the case again this time round, Marco Silva’s Everton are reportedly keen on the £13.5 million-rated enforcer (as per Transfermarkt), a player they are much better served targeting over Manchester United’s Marcos Rojo, another who has been linked with a move to Goodison Park.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, while Argentina international Rojo would bring the added bonus of versatility, given he can play at full back as well as centre back, the 28-year-old has hardly proven to be the most convincing of defenders during his time at Old Trafford, hence he has mustered just 68 Premier League appearances for the Red Devils since his move there four years ago.

And after struggling as part of an Argentina backline that exited the World Cup at the last-16 stage earlier this summer, Everton should forget about the United defender, especially if Chelsea’s Zouma is indeed an option in the latter stage of the window.

The 23-year-old may well have been part of a Stoke side relegated from the Premier League last season, but the Frenchman was a rare shining light in an otherwise disastrous campaign for the Potters, with 34 league appearances underlining the importance he had on the squad at the bet365 Stadium.

Arguably, the only reason Zouma hasn’t remained a key part of the Chelsea first team is as a result of suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury back in February 2016 as, up until that point, the defender had featured in all but two of the Blues’ Premier League games that season.

Thus, it’s pretty clear that the 23-year-old has an extremely bright future in the game, and given Everton’s obvious need for a more youthful backline, given that Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka are in the twilight of their careers, moving for the defender is a no-brainer.

And having also performed solidly at right back at times in the early phase of his career, he would also bring some versatility to the Everton squad, much like Rojo – the difference being that Zouma appears to be a more reliable and dependable defender than the United star.

As such, the Toffees simply must forget about making a move for Rojo, as they are much better served targeting Chelsea’s Zouma instead.

Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

According to Tuttomercatoweb, Southampton have beaten a number of European clubs – including Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur – to the signing of Servette teenager Alexandre Jankewitz.

What’s the story?

Southampton completed most of their summer transfer business early in the window, with Angus Gunn, Jannik Vestergaard, Stuart Armstrong and Mohamed Elyounoussi all arriving, although Danny Ings also made the move on deadline day.

The Saints opened their 2018-19 Premier League season with a goalless draw against Burnley, and there is certainly pressure on head coach Mark Hughes to succeed this season due to the money that has been spent.

According to Tuttomercatoweb, there will soon be another new signing at St Mary’s, with Southampton securing a £1.35m deal for Servette midfielder Jankewitz.

Tottenham, Man United and Juventus were all credited with an interest in the 16-year-old, but Southampton have reportedly won the race.

It is quite a coup for the Saints when considering the clubs that were in the running, and it will be very interesting to see how the Swiss develops in the English game.

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What are Jankewitz’s credentials?

Jankewitz does not turn 17 until the latter stages of this year, but has already been making waves in the youth system at Servette.

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Indeed, he has scored twice in 22 appearances for Servette’s Under-18 outfit, and is also a nine-time international with Switzerland’s Under-17 team.

Jankewitz mainly operates as a holding midfielder, but can also play further forward, and already stands at just under 6ft.

Southampton will surely look to introduce the Swiss to their Under-23 set-up later in the season, with the view to a future first-team role at St Mary’s.

It remains to be seen just how the teenager copes with the English game, but the fact that Southampton have beaten a number of huge clubs to his signature is a big statement of intent, and shows that while vice-chairman Les Reed may be unpopular with some after the last couple of years, he is still the right man for the south coast outfit.