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An update has emerged on how much it will cost Aston Villa to secure the signing of Terem Moffi during the January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

The Villans could have to pay around £30m to land the centre-forward from Lorient as talkSPORT have revealed that an offer from one of the club’s Premier League rivals is poised to fail.

They tweeted: “BREAKING: Lorient are set to reject West Ham’s £20m bid for Terem Moffi. The French side value the Nigerian international striker at closer to £30m. – talkSPORT sources understand.”

At the end of last month, it was reported that Villa, Crystal Palace, and Brighton, along with teams in the Bundesliga, are interested in signing the centre-forward and these teams now know how much they need to fork out to land his signature.

Ollie Watkins upgrade

NSWE could land Unai Emery an upgrade on current Villa striker Ollie Watkins by providing the funds to gazump West Ham and secure a £30m deal for the Ligue 1 marksman.

In the Premier League this season, the former Brentford centre-forward has struggled in front of goal. He has scored three times in 18 appearances in the top flight and averaged a dismal Sofascore rating of 6.66 – placing him 19th in the squad – whilst missing nine ‘big chances’ so far.

This shows that he is struggling at the top end of the pitch and that is why there could be scope to improve the team in that position by signing a new number nine this month.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig claimed that Moffi has been “on fire” this season and previously described the gem as being “prolific”, which is backed up by his statistics for Lorient.

Both Watkins and Moffi have accrued 0.32 non-penalty xG per 90 over the last 365 days but the latter has scored 0.52 non-penalty goals per 90, whilst the former has scored 0.24 per 90.

This shows that the Nigerian attacker is outperforming his xG and is, therefore, scoring more than the average striker would be expected to from the chances he is being provided with, whereas the Villa man is underperforming and not doing his teammates justice for the opportunities they are giving him.

Moffi has plundered 12 goals in 18 Ligue 1 outings this term, after managing 22 in the previous two campaigns combined, and his lethal nature in front of goal, along with his potential at the age of just 23, could make him a big upgrade on Watkins, 27, for Emery.

Therefore, NSWE must consider signing the Lorient striker for £30m to improve the squad heading into the second half of the season, preventing one of their rivals from strengthening their team in the process.

Manchester United have not had a busy January transfer window so far as they have only brought in one outfield signing to bolster their squad.

Jack Butland arrived on loan to replace Martin Dubravka as the club’s back-up goalkeeper and Wout Weghorst has joined on a temporary basis to compete with Erik ten Hag’s other options at the top end of the pitch.

The latter has immediately been called upon in the Premier League as he started the recent matches against Crystal Palace and Arsenal – playing 159 minutes.

Weghorst struggled to make an impact as he failed to contribute with a goal or an assist and lost 74% of his individual duels, whilst also completing 67% of his attempted passes and creating one chance for his teammates – as per Sofascore.

This comes after the Netherlands international scored two goals and provided three assists in 20 appearances in the division for Burnley in the 2021/22 campaign, which suggests that his early performances for United are unlikely to drastically improve in quality.

United could now land a huge upgrade on the Dutchman, whose loan expires at the end of the current season, by swooping to sign another forward in the summer.

One striker the club are reportedly interested in snapping up to take on the number nine position at Old Trafford in 2023/24 is Tottenham Hotspur star Harry Kane.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT recently, journalist Ryan Taylor claimed that the Red Devils could splash out a mega fee on the centre-forward if they qualify for next season’s Champions League.

He said: “They [Tottenham] cannot afford to lose a player of his quality on a free transfer – no way at all – and I think a fee of about £80m is one that I think if United get top four, they’d probably be prepared to meet.”

The England captain, who was once dubbed a “goal machine” by former Birmingham midfielder David Cotterill and journalist DaveOCKOP, would be a huge upgrade on Weghorst as he is a proven Premier League goalscorer and creator.

In the division this season, Kane has scored 16 goals and created eight ‘big chances’ for his teammates in 21 outings for Spurs and this comes after he produced 17 goals and 19 ‘big chances’ created in the 2021/22 campaign in the top-flight.

The 29-year-old has been directly involved in 247 goals in 303 Premier League appearances throughout his career for Tottenham and Norwich combined and this shows that the gem can deliver goal contributions at an extraordinary rate at this level.

Whereas, Weghorst struggled in front of goal for Burnley last term and his start to life in Manchester does not suggest it will be any different this season.

Therefore, Kane would be a huge upgrade on the Dutchman in terms of the quality he offers at the top end of the pitch, both in terms of his goalscoring instincts and his creativity.

Crystal Palace are hoping to complete the signing of Naouirou Ahamada before the end of the window and want to add depth to their thin squad, Pete O’Rourke has claimed.

What’s the word?

Patrick Vieira wants to pad his squad with quality, but are yet to make a signing in the January transfer window.

They have been strongly linked with Ahamada of Stuttgart, whose ‘energetic’ nature can bring a freshness to the Crystal Palace midfield.

Speaking to Football FanCast, O’Rourke explained it is a deal the Eagles want to get done, and that they want some bodies in before the end of the window.

He said: “He [Vieira] feels the squad is quite thin and he is looking [for] backing for some signings before the window closes as well. So he’d be hoping to get this deal over the line before next week’s deadline.”

A fresh face

Palace have been inconsistent this season, as whilst they are safely clear of the relegation zone for now, there could be an opportunity to push further up the table, but reinforcements are necessary.

If they can secure a deal for Ahamada, he can bring a fresh presence to the Eagles midfield.

He ranks in the top 25% of midfielders for goals and dribbles in top competitions over the past year, as per FBref, highlighting the creative spark he can bring to the side.

The likes of Will Hughes, Luka Milivojevic and Cheick Doucoure pale in comparison to Ahamada by those same metrics, while at just 20 years old, he has plenty of time to develop.

Meanwhile, players such as Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze have shown that Selhurst Park is currently an excellent place for young, creative players to move to in order to further their development, and Ahamada could be the next top talent to arrive in south London.

Manchester United could well be plotting to strengthen their midfield ranks even further before the deadline, despite having seemingly all but completed a deal for Bayern Munich’s Marcel Sabitzer.

What’s the word?

According to Foot Mercato, the Red Devils are believed to have offered to take Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar on loan for the remainder of the campaign and pay his full salary, with the 24-year-old having just six months remaining on his existing deal with the Ligue 1 outfit.

A further report from a journalist on Twitter has also corroborated those claims, writing in the last hour and a half: “Manchester United have held early discussions regarding a potential loan deal for Houssem Auoar. Far from being done, and currently seems unlikely.”

‘Incredible’

With the loss of both Christian Eriksen and Donny van de Beek to injury having left Erik ten Hag rather short on options in the centre of the park, it is seemingly no surprise that the Dutchman is attempting to secure quality recruits with just a matter of hours left in the window.

In the case of Aouar, the exciting Frenchman has endured a frustrating spell of late – having featured just eight times in the league this season due to injury – although he clearly remains a player of huge potential, having previously been described as “incredible” by Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola.

The 5 foot 9 maestro has illustrated that quality having racked up 41 goals and 35 assists in 224 games for his current side to date, while he has also been lauded as “technically gifted” and “dangerous” by Lyon boss – and one-time United man – Laurent Blanc.

The £63k-per-week sensation notably compares favourably among those in his position, ranking in the top 5% for non-penalty goals as well as in the top 8% for dribbles completed as a marker of his attacking thrust, while also ranking in the top 1% for progressive passes received to illustrate his creative flair.

That dynamism should well help ease the loss of Eriksen – who has nine assists to his name this season – as well as provide quality cover for Bruno Fernandes in Ten Hag’s squad, with the absence of Van de Beek having only enhanced the reliance on the Portuguese international.

In truth, it would certainly be a rather ‘incredible’ signing as far as the Old Trafford outfit are concerned if they can get Aouar through the door, particularly should it come so late in the day.

Wolverhampton Wanderers face an out-of-sorts Liverpool side who have been underperforming of late in this afternoon’s Premier League clash, and Julen Lopetegui may certainly smell blood as he looks to secure what could be a vital three points in the Old Gold’s relegation battle.

Indeed, Jurgen Klopp’s men haven’t won a match since their 1-0 victory at Wolves midway through January in an FA Cup replay, and there arguably isn’t a better time to face the Merseysiders than now.

Aside from long-term injury absentees Pedro Neto, Boubacar Traore, Chiquinho and Sasa Kalajdzic, Lopetegui has everyone else available for selection today.

However, a debut for new signing Joao Gomes may have to wait. With the Brazilian not having played since the end of last year, he could still be lacking that all-important match sharpness, something at which the manager himself hinted in recent days.

Lopetegui will likely rotate his team following their recent defeat to Manchester City, and we at Football FanCast predict the starting XI which will take to the Molineux pitch for the home side this afternoon…

Wolves predicted XI – Sa; Semedo, Collins, Kilman, Bueno; Nunes, Neves, Lemina; Podence, Cunha, Sarabia

Jose Sa retains his place in goal despite a poor performance against City, receiving a rating of just 5.8/10 from Sofascore, and he will be hoping to redeem himself against Liverpool.

The back four will likely be unchanged this afternoon, with new signing Craig Dawson having to wait to make his first start for the club. Nelson Semedo and Hugo Bueno will start on the right and left of defence respectively, while Nathan Collins and Max Kilman forming the centre-back pairing at the heart of the Wolves defence.

Mario Lemina will start his second Premier League game in a row, adding some defensive steel to the Wolves side, having averaged one tackle and 1.5 clearances per match while winning 100% of his aerial duels so far. The 29-year-old will again be joined by Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes in the engine room, and Lopetegui will hope that they can grab a foothold on the game from the very start.

We anticipate that the 56-year-old will make three changes from the City defeat, replacing the entire front three which started at the Etihad Stadium. Daniel Podence will start on the left wing, with another January signing Pablo Sarabia making his first Wolves start on the right flank as Adama Traore drops to the bench, having been hauled off at half-time against Pep Guardiola’s side.

Matheus Cunha replaces Raul Jimenez, with the £43m striker aiming to score his first goal for the Old Gold today. He was dubbed “special” by his former Hertha Berlin boss Bruno Labbadia, and a decisive goal today would certainly endear him to the Molineux faithful.

Journalist Greg O’Keeffe has labelled Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s Everton injury woes as a drama while speaking on the All Together Now podcast.

The Lowdown: Yet another injury issue

Despite picking up their first win of 2023 and managing to do it live on BT Sport against the current best team in England, there were still grey clouds hanging over Goodison Park.

Star striker Calvert-Lewin was forced off in the second half with an injury, which has now been confirmed to be a hamstring issue – something he has had to deal with on numerous occasions during his career.

Sean Dyche has claimed that Calvert-Lewin will have to go for a scan on his hamstring to determine the severity of the injury, and he will be praying it isn’t serious.

The Latest: Calvert-Lewin would be a huge miss

The England international has had a miserable time of late with injuries, and O’Keeffe admits he and fellow Evertonians are now sweating over his latest injury ahead of the Merseyside derby.

He said: “The only thing, as usual – and it’s not a day to say negatives about anything, but what’re we doing again? We said it last week, we’re sweating on Dominic Calvert-Lewin being fit for the weekend.

“So that’s an ongoing drama that just never ends. I just hope to God that he can get himself passed fit for the derby, but I don’t know what’s gone on with that lad’s body this season, it really is a mystery to me.”

The Verdict: Dyche needs good news

Given the fact that Everton lost their top scorer in January in the form of Anthony Gordon and summer signing Neal Maupay has just one goal to his name in 14 league appearances, it’s safe to say that Calvert-Lewin is very much needed for Everton’s battle against the drop.

Prior to Saturday’s game, not many may have backed Everton to get anything from games against Arsenal and Liverpool, but after an impressive win at the weekend, some Evertonians may fancy themselves against an out-of-form Reds side.

However, the outcome of the game could well be dependent on the fitness of Calvert-Lewin given his experience in leading the line for Everton over the last few years, as well as the fact Dyche clearly trusts him as he picked him as his starting striker in his first game in charge.

Aston Villa were linked with a move for Nico Williams in the January transfer window but were rejected in their efforts, and a reliable source has now made a claim on the club’s potential pursuit of the player in the summer.

What’s the latest?

When asked about the prospect of Villa getting a deal done for the Athletic Bilbao attacker later this year, Peter O’Rourke told Football FanCast:

“Yeah he’s a real top young player for Athletic Bilbao, also for Spain as well, he played at the last World Cup.

“So yeah, he has a huge potential, a number of Premier League clubs have looked at him in the past and it looks like he has all the attributes to be a success in the Premier League.”

Big Coutinho upgrade

There is no doubt that Unai Emery will be exploring his options when it comes to identifying the right players to fit his philosophy for the future at Villa Park, and strengthening the attacking threat will surely be a huge part of his plans to improve performances.

With Danny Ings’ departure last month and only 25 goals scored in their first 21 games in the Premier League so far this season, there is certainly an opportunity to bring in players who can spark more creativity and chances in front of goal.

As a result, signing Williams would be an incredible piece of business for the Villans this summer in their ambitious efforts to push for a return to European football sooner rather than later.

Across 20 La Liga appearances in the current campaign, the 20-year-old has scored three goals, registered four assists and created three big chances, along with averaging 1.3 key passes, 1.8 shots, 1.6 successful dribbles and 3.8 successful dribbles per game, proving to be an effective attacking presence on the pitch.

In fact, Emery could land a huge Philippe Coutinho upgrade, with the Brazilian attacker clearly falling out of favour in the new manager’s set-up at Villa Park, tallying no more than 45 minutes per league appearance since the former Arsenal boss took charge at Halloween.

When comparing the respective outputs of the positional peers so far this season, Williams has outperformed Coutinho in many attributes, including goal contributions (7 v 0), shots on target rate (33.3% v 31.6%), shot-creating actions (62 v 23), progressive passes (50 v 45) and aerial duel success rate (37.5% v 20%).

The versatile Spanish attacker – who was dubbed “phenomenal” by Jacek Kulig – reportedly has a release clause of £50m; and with Coutinho linked with a move away from Villa Park in the summer, the Bilbao talent could be the perfect player in whom to reinvest in order to replace the ex-Liverpool playmaker.

If Emery could secure the services of Williams in the summer, it would give Aston Villa a huge boost ahead of next season when it comes to the creativity and attacking threat in the team.

Alasdair Gold was far from impressed by what Dejan Kulsuevski offered last night in Tottenham Hotspur’s defeat in the Champions League.

The Lowdown: Spurs fail to get a positive result

Tottenham got off to the worst possible start as they saw Cristian Romero easily beaten by Theo Hernandez which led to Brahim Diaz heading home at the second attempt from close range.

Romero wasn’t the only one that failed to show up, however, with both Kulusevski and Son Heung-min failing to make an impact on the pitch, which certainly hindered Tottenham in the final third.

Kulusevski has failed to hit the heights of last season with just two goals and six assists across all competitions – and while injuries haven’t helped him, he certainly isn’t the same player from the last campaign.

The Lowdown: Kulusevski struggled in Italy

Gold said it as he saw it live at the San Siro last night as he picked out Kulusevski for his shocking performance that earned him a 4/10 rating after being hooked midway through the second half.

He said: “Struggled to make any real impact on the game in his 70 minutes on the pitch as he returned to Italy to face an opposition he knows well.”

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The Verdict: Performances must improve

Interestingly, Kulusevski received the lowest rating of the night with his 4/10.

When Kulusevski turned up last January, he was a revelation and played a huge part in helping Spurs secure a place in the top four as he registered five goals and eight assists in just 18 Premier League games.

However, he’s struggled to stay fit this season, and last night saw him unable to find the form that was so positive last term, as the Sweden international registered zero shots and lost possession 20 times in the defeat (as per Sofascore).

A 1-0 defeat isn’t the end of the world for Spurs as they may back themselves to at least be able to take the tie to extra time back in north London, but they will hope their attackers can find some form before then, with Kulusevski and Son both out of sorts.

Chelsea are willing to offer £88m to bring AC Milan forward Rafael Leao to the Premier League, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Qatar talks held

The Portuguese international has now entered the final 18 months of his contract at the San Siro, meaning that the Serie A giants could potentially be looking to cash in this summer.

Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg reported that the Blues held talks regarding a move for the 23-year-old during the World Cup in Qatar, though a move failed to materialise in January.

The Milan winger also briefly followed the club on social media, hinting that he’s keen to work under Graham Potter, who could be about to take a second bite of the cherry.

The Latest: Chelsea readying Leao bid

According to Spanish reports (via Sportskeeda), Chelsea are ‘willing to spend’ €100m (£88m) to sign Leao this summer.

The Stamford Bridge outfit are ‘interested’ in Stefano Pioli’s talisman but are set to face stiff competition from top-flight rivals Manchester City.

The Almada native will only be allowed to depart for a sizeable sum, with the fee above the ‘minimum’ required to sanction a sale.

The Verdict: Splash the cash

Leao has been hailed a ‘difference-maker’ by talent scout Jacek Kulig and Chelsea should definitely splash the cash to secure his services this summer.

The Milan attacker has racked up 14 goal contributions (eight goals and six assists) in 22 Serie A outings this season, where he’s currently averaging 2.9 shots per game.

This form has seen him bag five man-of-the-match awards in all competitions, not forgetting his versatility having operated as a second striker and in midfield alongside his natural position out wide.

Leao ranks in the 95th percentile for successful take-ons and this kind of direct threat is exactly what the Blues need, making this a no-brainer of a deal to complete should the opportunity arise.

Crystal Palace are interested in signing Manchester United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka this summer, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Wan-Bissaka’s resurgence

Hailed as a ‘monster’ by members of the media back in 2020, the defender has produced some solid displays at Old Trafford following the World Cup towards the end of last year.

He played just four minutes of Premier League action prior to the tournament in Qatar but has featured in nine of his team’s last 10 top-flight games, with Erik ten Hag’s side going from strength to strength.

The 25-year-old has impressed his manager and remained at Old Trafford beyond the January transfer window despite previous reports of a possible exit, but it looks as if a return to Selhurst Park could still be on the cards.

The Latest: Palace still want Wan-Bissaka

Football Insider shared a story in the last 48 hours regarding Wan-Bissaka and Palace. The reports claims that the Eagles, and by extension Steve Parish and Dougie Freedman, are interested in signing the defender.

The Red Devils are  believed to be chasing a new right-back of their own, with Wan-Bissaka giving serious thought to leaving Old Trafford at the end of the season.

The Verdict: Get it done

Wan-Bissaka, who shares the same agency as Eagles duo March Guehi and Jeffrey Schlupp, appears to be getting back to his best, so now could be the perfect time to explore a move for the former Palace academy product.

Patrick Vieira’s two right-back options at this moment in time are Joel Ward and Nathaniel Clyne, both of whom are over the age of 30 and out of contract at the end of the season. Therefore, the club could do with thinking about the long-term in that area, so bringing back Wan-Bissaka could be a wise move to explore.

The 25-year-old is into the final 18 months of his United contract, too, so the Eagles may fancy their chances of bringing him back for a fee of less than £50m, the price for which they sold him to Old Trafford in 2019.