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Celtic have been working on a move for Bayern Munich teenager Christopher Scott for a long time, according to Sky Sports Germany.

The Lowdown: Celtic links

Celtic chiefs appear to be working in the background ahead of the summer window, with all of Ange Postecoglou’s focus on the run-in with a domestic treble still on the cards.

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Journalist Florian Plettenberg recently revealed that the Hoops have held talks over a move for Scott, who is out of contract in the summer. Premier League side Brentford are also keen on the attacking midfielder, who Bayern want to keep.

The Latest: Sky Sports Germany’s update

Sky Sports Germany shared more information regarding Scott in a story shared on Monday afternoon. They claim that Scott is flirting with a Bayern exit as he wants to play regularly.

Talks with Celtic and Brentford have gone on ‘for a long time’, and Sky revealed that a possible scenario is for the German giants to let Scott go but take up an option to extend his contract in order to collect a fee of around €600,000 with a buyback option in place.

The Verdict: Next few months key…

Scott seems to be highly rated by Bayern, who seem to want to keep the youngster at the Allianz Arena or at least have the option to re-sign him in the future. The 19-year-old wants to play more often though, and if Celtic are willing to offer first-team football, they could be in with a chance of securing his services.

Winning the Premiership and guaranteeing Champions League football could also be a key factor in any possible deal, so it could be one to keep a close eye on over the coming months, with the Hoops able to secure a pre-contract agreement.

In other news: ‘As well…’ – Journalist drops claim on more exit news at Celtic Park; it’s a potential ‘bonus’. 

West Ham United are reportedly interested in signing Sevilla winger Lucas Ocampos this summer as David Moyes plans to strengthen his squad during the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the latest?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, the Hammers – alongside Premier League rivals Wolves – are keen to bring the 27-year-old to England.

The Argentine has two years left on his contract with the La Liga outfit and played the entire first leg of the two teams’ Europa League round of 16 tie last month, missing the trip to the London Stadium.

Valued by Transfermarkt at £27m, Ocampos has scored nine goals and registered four assists in 36 appearances across all competitions this season and could be an intriguing addition to the Irons’ squad.

Moyes should sign Ocampos

It’s no secret that, despite another successful season, West Ham need a reshape of their playing personnel this summer. The average age of Moyes’ squad is 28.8 and consists of just 24 players, a low tally considering that they’ve played in four different competitions this term.

Reinforcements in every position are likely to be needed, including in the wide attacking positions.

Although at 27 he wouldn’t bring the average squad age down considerably, Ocampos is at a prime age where he can still improve whilst already having huge experience, something which could potentially shift out the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Said Benrahma, Pablo Fornals or Andriy Yarmolenko.

Most importantly, though, he’s certainly an improvement on some of the Hammers’ current options.

Bowen is arguably an exception, with the Englishman currently West Ham’s top scorer this season with 14 goals. However, the 25-year-old is the only Irons winger who has scored more than Ocampos in 2021/22, with Benrahma scoring nine and Pablo Fornals six, and the ex-Hull City star has been linked with a possible move to Newcastle in recent days.

Moreover, Yarmolenko is expected to depart this summer upon the expiration of his contract, further highlighting the necessity of a winger being on West Ham’s wishlist this summer.

Described as “electric” by journalist Fede Praml, the tricky Sevilla winger currently averages 1.9 shots per game whilst enjoying an 83% passing accuracy and 40% dribbling success. The 27-year-old’s defensive contribution is satisfactory too, with 1.4 tackles and 0.6 clearances per match.

It may take time for the Argentine to adapt to the Premier League and West Ham’s style of play if he moves to east London, but it is crucial that the Hammers finish the next transfer window with a bigger squad than what Moyes current has, especially if they succeed in qualifying for Europe and if Bowen is tempted to Tyneside.

In other news – Imagine him & Zouma: Moyes could unearth West Ham’s next Rio Ferdinand in “clever” £12k-p/w gem

Chelsea are a club in a bit of turmoil at the moment, although a midweek win over Malmo in the Europa League will ease the tensions somewhat.

The Blues have been inconsistent to say the very least and are in big danger of not even making the top four come the end of the season, as manager Mauro Sarri already appears to be facing a fight to keep his job.

Chelsea have always had a massive squad, and keeping that squad happy has to be one of the hardest challenges in the top flight, but there are some players there who are simply doing nothing and taking up a wage and space in the squad.

One such player is Danny Drinkwater, who to say has become surplus to requirements would be an understatement.

It was alwasy going to be a big ask for the former Leicester man when he joined Chelsea. He seemd to fit the Foxes well, and a move to a club like Chelsea always posed the risk of swallowing him right up. That has proved to be the case exactly.

There is still a quality player in there though, and Drinkwater can and should get himself out of the club and find a new home to showcase his talents.

A player who was once a regular in England squads and talked about as a starter at his best, his stock has fallen massively, and he needs to shift himself out of The Bridge and onto pastures new ASAP.

Blues fans, would you agree? Let us know in the comments!

Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold has made a claim regarding young forward Dane Scarlett.

The Lowdown: Conte a fan

Scarlett has progressed through the youth system in north London, scoring 27 goals for the U18s and U23s and has now established himself in the senior squad.

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He made his Premier League debut from the bench in last month’s 4-0 win over Leeds United and has missed just two Premier League matchday squads since New Year’s Day.

Conte was full of praise for the youngster following the win over West Ham prior to the international break, believing Scarlett has a ‘brilliant future’ in the game.

The Latest: Gold’s comments

Gold ran a Q&A on football.london on Thursday lunchtime and was asked by one Spurs supporter about the possibility of Scarlett getting a real shot under Conte next season.

He expects Scarlett to remain in north London next season and added that a full pre-season under the Italian would ‘be a big deal’.

“I think they’ll make a decision over Dane Scarlett’s next steps in the summer but, at this point, I’d expect them to keep him at the club next season to continue to learn and get more chances to play. That Conte spoke about him, unprompted, on Sunday was a great sign and suggests he’s making big strides behind the scenes.

“A pre-season with Conte would be a big deal for the teenager and could really help him continue to develop. Spurs will likely bring in another striker during the transfer window and that would see the three strikers used for all the competitions and perhaps the club look at a loan for Dane in January if post-Christmas he’s going to get less game time.

“Who knows, he might just have made a big splash by that point if he continues to move towards that “brilliant future” Conte says he has ahead.”

The Verdict: Good news

Scarlett has made the most of Spurs failing to sign an out and out centre-forward to rival Harry Kane, catching Conte’s eye in recent months.

As Gold mentions, a loan at the beginning of 2023 could be a smart idea for the 18-year-old, providing the club add to their attacking ranks in the summer.

It appears as if Tottenham have high hopes for the teenager, so you’d expect a new contract could be in the pipeline as well, with his current deal set to expire in just over 12 months’ time.

In other news: Sky Sports man now reveals big Tottenham injury update before Newcastle. 

Leeds United could start the Jesse Marsch era with a bang by signing long-term transfer target Ryan Kent this summer…

What’s the word?

It is believed the Yorkshire giants remain hugely interested in the Rangers sensation as he continues to impress north of the border. Football Insider reported only last month that the Whites were monitoring his situation at Ibrox, with a little over a year remaining on his current contract.

Now journalist Pete O’Rourke has delivered his verdict to GIVEMESPORT.

“The Ryan Kent one’s interesting; he’s been a long-term target for Leeds. Ever since they won promotion back to the Premier League, there was links with Ryan Kent.

“He’s had another good season for Rangers, impressed especially in their European run as well. If Leeds did follow up their interest, there is a release clause in his contract.”

Exciting signing

That clause is thought to be in the region of £20m but the Scottish champions will start to lose some power over the situation, the longer they let the 25-year-old’s contract run down.

Kent would be something of a statement signing during the off-season and one that could truly kickstart the new era at Elland Road.

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The former Liverpool academy graduate has been in fine form once again this campaign, where he has scored three goals and provided 17 assists from 38 appearances in all competitions. That builds on his 13 goals and 15 assists during their title-winning triumph last year, as per Transfermarkt.

Such attacking form has led to quite the praise indeed.

“The run from Ryan Kent is on a different level altogether. Understandable that people moan when he’s not at his best… but when he is, he’s completely unplayable,” claimed journalist Andrew Dickson after his showing in their shock win over Borussia Dortmund in the Europa League.

Valued by Transfermarkt at £12.6m, the English winger could be an ideal target this summer, especially with the futures of both Jack Harrison and Raphinha up in the air amid their own links away.

Even if both remain, Marsch is still light on options and Kent is worth a shot in the big time next season.

Also lauded as a “match-winner” who has “everything in his locker” and capable of providing “something special” by former teammate Kyle Lafferty, it’s time for Leeds to splash out on the Rangers star.

He could be the perfect signing to kickstart a summer of change in west Yorkshire.

AND in other news, Phil Hay drops Robin Koch update amid Leeds exit rumours…

Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard is risking his first howler in charge of the club amid Arsenal’s reported interest in Douglas Luiz.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that the Gunners are interested in signing the Brazil international in this January transfer window as they look to bolster their midfield options, and Gerrard has now admitted that no talks over a new contract have begun.

He said: “No, we haven’t opened contract talks yet with Douglas. I think in this period and in this window, it has been the case of trying to strengthen the current squad, make additions and, also, find destinations for some of our younger players in terms of loans.

“We still think that there’s room for him to get better and improve. We rate the player extremely high and we’re hoping from now until the end of the season, he can really perform at his best and help the team moving forward.”

Villa fans will be fuming

Reports over the course of the summer suggested that Serie A giants AS Roma were also interested in signing the Brazil international, but a move failed to materialise.

Having stayed put, Luiz has since gone on to enjoy a fine campaign in the Premier League thus far, with his average match rating of 6.91 as per Whoscored being the second-best of any Villa player to have started more than two games.

The Brazilian continues to be a cornerstone of the midfield under Gerrard just like he was when Dean Smith was in charge, with last term seeing him play 33 out of the possible 38 Premier League games as the Midlands club finished just outside the top ten.

Speaking back in 2020, The Athletic journalist Gregg Evans, said of him: “He’s an absolute joy to watch now and I never thought I would be saying that. Villa have got a fantastic player in Douglas Luiz now, he looks like an absolute star, he could have played in that Man United team.”

In fact, in a poll done on Football FanCast back in June, 73% of Villa fans who answered said that they would not sell Luiz this summer (182 votes to 66).

Letting Luiz go, especially on a potential cut-price deal given his contract situation, and that too to a fellow Premier League side like Arsenal, would be a major howler on the part of Gerrard and surely leave Villa fans fuming.

Meanwhile, Gerrard could end the transfer window on a high with this man…

Everton are reportedly now ‘keen’ on signing Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi in the summer.

The Lowdown: Chelsea woes

Batshuayi has not always been the happiest at Chelsea, as he has been sent out on loan five times since signing from Marseille for a whopping £35.1m back in 2016.

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Called ‘top class’ by Frank Lampard when he was manager at Stamford Bridge, and a ‘hero’ by Football Vlogger and Blues supporter George Benson, the striker has contributed to Premier League and FA Cup titles for Chelsea, but the summer could well be the time that he finally moves on permanently.

The Latest: Everton ‘keen’

Writing in his latest piece for TEAMtalk, transfer insider Graeme Bailey has revealed that the Goodison Park faithful, as well as Leeds United, are now ‘keen’ on signing Batshuayi this summer.

Chelsea have given the ‘green light’ for his exit, and should the Merseyside club avoid relegation from the Premier League, they could take advantage of the situation.

The Verdict: Risky

Of course, given his troubles at Chelsea, signing Batshuayi would be a risk.

However, that is not to say that it could not be a shrewd move, as he has scored a total of 165 goals for club and country combined over the course of his senior career, and at 28 years of age, still has room left to grow and really hit his prime.

It would mean that the Toffees would probably have to get rid of at least one of Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison to make room for the Belgium international though, and if they do get relegated down to the Championship, any deal is likely to be cut off.

In other news, find out which Lewis Hamilton-like speedster EFC are now targeting here!

Barcelona are ‘well advanced’ in talks with Raphinha over a summer move from Leeds United, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Constant Raphinha rumours

Sadly for the Whites, endless reports are linking the Brazilian with a summer exit from Elland Road, as he seemingly weighs up his future.

Barcelona appear to be the current front-runners to snap up Raphinha at the end of the season, as new manager Xavi looks to add more quality to his squad.

Now, Romano has provided an update that further suggests the winger’s future may lie at the Camp Nou.

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The Latest: Romano makes fresh claim

Taking to Twitter on Friday, the renowned journalist claimed that talks are ongoing and ‘advanced’, although nothing will be agreed quickly:

“Barcelona are in well advanced talks with Deco for Raphinha as summer target since one month, but the official negotiation with Leeds won’t start now – it will take some time.”

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The Verdict: Turning the screw

Once a club of Barca’s history and stature show interest in a player, the end result is invariably a formality, which is clearly concerning for Leeds.

A recent claim made by transfer expert Dean Jones does at least suggest that Raphinha, and Kalvin Phillips for that matter, could still stay put but it is clear that the Catalan giants consider the former a primary target.

It is easy to see Raphinha slotting in seamlessly at Barca with some superb players around him and he may see it as a perfect opportunity to boost his chances of starting for Brazil at the World Cup later this year.

In other news, Beren Cross has dropped a key update regarding one Leeds player. Read more here.

Aston Villa had a particularly busy January transfer window, more so than most clubs across the Premier League in terms of bringing new players in and moving some of their current ones out elsewhere.

On the chalkboard

One player that was on the move last month was 18-year-old striker Louie Barry, who after spending the first half of the season on loan with Ipswich Town, made the move to Swindon Town on another loan deal until the end of the season.

Villa signed the teenager back in the 2020 January transfer window from Barcelona’s U19 side in a deal worth a reported fee of around £880k. Since then, the striker has gone on to make 28 appearances across the club’s U18 and U23 sides, scoring 22 goals in the process, showing the attacking talents he has in his locker.

The youngster has also made one senior appearance in a Villa shirt where he managed to grab a goal against Liverpool in the 4-1 FA Cup defeat back in January last year, which was described as a “perfect finish” by Michael Owen, proving that he is not only capable of scoring regularly at youth level, but also against tough senior opposition.

It was a remarkable accomplishment, one that had Villa Park rocking and indeed, should he get a sustained chance in the senior setup, this is something he could replicate.

With just six appearances for Ipswich since the start of the season, it’s safe to say that his time was being wasted at the League One side and that it was wise of Villa to take him back and move him on to Swindon, where he has already made two appearances.

Looking beyond this season, Steven Gerrard has the chance to give Barry his first real taste of what it’s like to be in and around the first team throughout pre-season in the summer and then give him some regular minutes in the team once their next campaign begins.

Given the goalscoring knack that the youngster seems to have and has shown on the pitch when given the chance to play at Villa, he certainly has the ability to raise the roof at Villa Park and get the fans cheering. However, he will need to evolve his game and adapt to the Premier League as a young player having worked his way through the youth ranks at Bodymoor Heath.

With that in mind, if summer signing Danny Ings doesn’t start to score regularly this season or keep his fitness levels up after missing some games earlier in the campaign, he could be in danger of having Barry take his place in the team in the future, especially if he can show what he’s capable of at Swindon in the meantime.

In other news: Forget Nakamba: Gerrard can fix big AVFC issue by unleashing “serious” £52k-p/w beast – opinion

Celtic regained their six-point advantage at the top of the Scottish Premiership with a 2-0 win over Ross County on Sunday afternoon. 

Ange Postecoglou made three changes from the side that started against Rangers at Hampden Park last weekend, with Anthony Ralston, Matt O’Riley and Kyogo Furuhashi coming in for Josip Juranovic, Tom Rogic and Liel Abada respectively.

It was Furuhashi who opened the scoring in the early stages with a fine header, his first goal since returning from injury, and Jota sealed the victory late on.

The Transfer Tavern have now used statistical experts SofaScore to analyse who the three worst outfield performers (to have played at least 45 minutes) were for the visitors on the day, with these three combined losing possession 42 times and coming second best in 71% of their duels.

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Reo Hatate – 6.3/10

Hatate was the worst-rated performer on Sunday, ending with a rating of 6.3/10. The January signing was taken off with just over 15 minutes remaining for David Turnbull after losing all five of his duels and giving the ball away 14 times.

The midfielder failed to complete a dribble, make a tackle, interception or have a shot on target, making it an afternoon to forget on a personal note.

Daizen Maeda – 6.5/10

Maeda turned out on the wing but didn’t catch the eye in his 65-minute display. The versatile forward was eventually replaced by Tom Rogic and gave possession away on 10 occasions.

He also lost five of his eight duels, missed a big chance and was unsuccessful in 66% of his dribbles, ending with a rating of 6.5/10.

Callum McGregor – 6.8/10

McGregor is the third and final inclusion, ending with a rating of 6.8/10. The Scot gave the ball away 18 times and lost two of his four duels.

He also failed to make a clearance all afternoon and managed just one tackle, while four of his five attempted long balls were misplaced.

In other news, an expert has made a key claim regarding the ownership of Celtic. Read more here.