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Former Wolves loanee Vitinha has been linked with a return to Molineux, with a scout thought to have watched him in action for FC Porto recently.

The Lowdown: Vitinha impresses on loan

The 21-year-old spent last season on loan at Wolves, making 22 appearances overall and catching the eye with his mature performances.

Vitinha returned to Porto when his loan expired and he has made four Primeira Liga starts so far this term.

The Latest: Linked with return

According to Record [via Sport Witness], Wolves sent a scout to watch Porto’s 3-1 win away to Tondela, with officials from the likes of Valencia, Celta Vigo, Real Sociedad, Tenerife, Extremadura also thought to be present.

It is mentioned that Wolves could potentially be considering a permanent deal for Vitinha in either the January transfer window or next summer.

The Verdict: Shrewd potential business

This is positive news from a Wolves perspective, with Vitinha a player who would represent a long-term addition and someone who becomes more formidable as each year passes.

He may not have been perfect on loan at Molineux, but for a player of his age, he showed what he is capable of and why the club are seemingly watching him closely again. His 90.3% passing accuracy was the best of any Wolves starter in the 2020/21 Premier League and is far above the team’s 81.4% for the current campaign, so he could improve them significantly in this regard.

Some Porto fans have hailed his performances this season – one called him ‘better than prime Iniesta’ – which speaks volumes about the strides he is making. Also, with the 21-year-old already having a taste of Molineux, the readjustment to the Midlands should be fairly comfortable for him, particularly with another Portuguese manager at the helm in Bruno Lage.

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly keen on a move for a hugely exciting young player. Read more here.

Taking to Twitter, Sportitalia TV reporter Rudy Galetti has dropped a promising Tottenham Hotspur transfer update involving Wolverhampton Wanderers star Adama Traore.

The Lowdown: Lilywhites eye Traore move…

According to numerous reliable sources, Tottenham manager Antonio Conte and transfer chief Fabio Paratici are eager to sign the Spaniard and have placed him on the club’s wish list.

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Indeed, reliable reporter John Percy of The Telegraph says that Spurs are ‘weighing up’ a move for Traore this month while another good source in Fabrizio Romano backs the Lilywhites’ interest.

According to the Italian transfer guru, speaking on Chris Cowlin’s YouTube channel recently (via The Express), Wolves’ forward is ‘super-appreciated’ by both Conte and Paratici.

Sharing the latest on Traore, Galetti has dropped a promising update on social media.

The Latest: Galetti makes Twitter claim…

Taking to Twitter, the Sportitalia TV journalist claims that the 25-year-old is a top target for Conte and Wolves could now sell for just €20 million (£16.6m).

“Adama Traore continues to be on the Antonio Conte preferred list. Wolves could let him go for around €20M,” he stated.

“West Ham are also closely following the situation of the right-winger. Evolving situation.”

The Verdict: Should Paratici move?

A direct winger possessing real pace and threat, Traore’s versatility means he can also be deployed across the midfield and further forward.

His stats are also very impressive with the attacker averaging a brilliant 4.5 completed dribbles per 90 in the Premier League over his ten starts this season – almost double that of Lucas Moura, who holds Spurs’ highest amount of successful take-ons (WhoScored).

Former Lilywhites boss Nuno Espirito Santo knows all about Traore, having coached him at Molineux, with the Portuguese raving over his ‘very special’ and ‘unique’ player last year (Express & Star).

Amid Conte’s personal search for a right-wing back, Traore could come as a surprise option for that position too given he has played in that position.

Still fairly young, if Spurs can indeed sign him for just £16.6m, they would have very little to lose.

In other news: Tottenham racing to sign ‘sensational’ player as Levy willing to table ‘huge’ offer, find out more here.

Glasgow Rangers have been dealt a huge blow in their bid to bring goalkeeper Sam Johnstone to Ibrox this summer.

What’s the Word?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim that sources close to Johnstone have revealed that the shot-stopper wants to join Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur on the expiration of his West Bromwich Albion contract at the end of the current campaign.

This is sure to come as a huge blow to Rangers, as Giovanni van Bronckhorst is looking at a replacement for Allan McGregor – who himself looks increasingly likely to be leaving Ibrox this summer.

The Light Blues have shown interest in the England international who has kept 15 clean sheets in 36 Championship matches so far this season as West Brom has struggled.

With the likes of Newcastle United, West Ham United, and Southampton all linked with the highly-rated stopper in recent weeks, it’s clear to see why missing out on Johnstone could send Rangers into panic mode.

A potential replacement for McGregor?

Allan McGregor has so often been the saviour for Rangers over the years, producing big moments and penalty saves exactly when the side needs them, but this campaign has looked like a step too far.

There have been far too many mistakes as the Ibrox side has slipped behind in the title race, and the keeper has cost the club a fair few points since January.

As such, signing Johnstone on a pre-contract would be an excellent move. With three caps for England and still just 29 years of age, Giovanni van Bronckhorst could do no wrong in making a move for the shot-stopper.

Indeed, with the ‘keeper having been omitted from West Brom’s previous two matchday squads due to his contract running down, Rangers are in as good of a position as any to offer him terms.

With a market value of £7.2m, any side that secures the services of the 29-year-old could also make a solid profit in the future if they decide to sell him on, making this move an absolute no-brainer.

AND in other News: Wilson could land new £13m talent as Rangers plot bid for £180k-rated sensation

Aston Villa will return to action in the Premier League on Wednesday at Villa Park against Leeds United, and Steven Gerrard will be hoping to pick up where he left off before the winter break by continuing to climb the table in his first few months in charge at the club.

The Villans have been picking up 0.54 more points so far under their Liverpudlian manager since he joined in November, taking 16 points from their last ten games in the Premier League, and there is now opportunity for the side to comfortably secure a top half finish, or even exceed expectations by securing European football next season if they continue at the rate they are going.

With that being said, Gerrard will be wanting to gain momentum as soon as possible as the side return after a few weeks off, especially with the club out of all cup competitions, they really have an opportunity to focus on getting ahead in their Premier League campaign as the new manager has now settled in and completed four new signings in his first transfer window last month.

One player who must be unleashed on Leeds United is Ollie Watkins, who has been a consistent and key player for Aston Villa since he signed in 2020 from Brentford, bagging 21 goals and six assists in just 59 appearances with a goal involvement every 2.1 games so far, as former manager Dean Smith dubbed the star “one of the best” in his position.

After signing Philippe Coutinho, the Villa manager could really boost the striker’s prolific finishing further by surrounding him with experienced creative players who can provide him with more chances, and the Brazilian winger could form a great partnership with Watkins, something the manager should be keen to establish as soon as possible with the Leeds United game a perfect opportunity.

Danny Ings has struggled to find consistent form in the side, with the initially planned partnership between the 29-year-old and Watkins clearly not working as the former Southampton man has only scored once whilst playing with his striking partner out wide on the left.

The 26-year-old who has been hailed a “machine” by Chris Deacon, must seize the opportunity to prove he should start over his competitor in the centre forward role by putting on an outstanding performance against Leeds, as Gerrard will be keen to quickly work out which players are going to fit into his already crowded forward line to squeeze out every last point in the remaining months of the season.

In other news: Lange could repeat mistakes by signing Lacazette

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a move for Jesse Lingard in 2022…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Sky Sports journalist Mark McAdam, who delivered an intriguing update on the situation live on air on Thursday morning.

“This will get Tottenham fans excited, they’ve been screaming for a creative midfielder, someone to replace Christian Eriksen, someone who can score goals, set up goals, and be really dynamic in that front three.

“And Tottenham fans will like this one, because potentially, Jesse Lingard is on their radar,” he said.

“Tottenham are keen to sign Lingard and they have approached his representatives over the course of this window, potentially with a view to a move in January, possibly, maybe more likely, the summer.

“There has been dialogue opened between Jesse Lingard’s representatives and Tottenham.”

Exciting news?

Indeed, it does appear as if many around north London would love to see Spurs make a move for the Manchester United outcast, and it’s easy to see why.

In reactions sourced by This Is Futbol, several members of the Lilywhites faithful expressed their delight in previous links to the England international.

“Get it done Don Fabio,” claimed one, whilst another said: “yes, a midfielder who scored goals”. A further fan even pointed out that he fits the homegrown quota.

Meanwhile, 73% of over 340 supporters polled by Football FanCast were fully behind the arrival of Lingard.

Lingard has struggled for minutes at Old Trafford this season, being restricted to 272 minutes in all competitions but it was only last season that he proved his credentials during a loan stint at London rivals West Ham United.

He delivered nine goals and five assists across 16 appearances to fire the Irons into the Europa League. This included a goal in their win over Spurs in the Premier League, too.

Those at the London Stadium were desperate to keep him following the spell, with assistant manager Stuart Pearce lauding him as a “special lad” to talkSPORT during the summer.

A career average of 1.4 key passes per 90, including a high of 1.9 during the 2016/17 league campaign, does indeed suggest that Lingard could be the man to fulfil that Eriksen role in N17.

Therefore, McAdam is right – there is plenty to be excited about if you’re a Lilywhites supporter. As evident above, many would love to see him join, either this month or in the summer.

AND in other news, Worse than Ndombele: Conte must axe shocking £70k-p/w Spurs flop, he’s stolen a living…

[ad_pod ]West Ham fans have taken to Twitter to react after it was revealed on the club’s official website that there may potentially be a few changes taking place at the London Stadium.Those Hammers fans who sit in the lower tier of the Sir Trevor Brooking stand and the Bobby Moore stand could find their section squared off to resemble a more traditional football stadium, whilst their seats may also be moved four metres closer to the pitch.The space between the stands and the field of play has been one of the main talking points since the Irons’ move into the stadium back in 2016, with some fans sitting further back perhaps needing binoculars to see what’s going on most of the time.The potential of making such changes is currently being explored, but fans of the east London-based club are excited by the news, and the fact that they are finally being listened to by the owners…

The Athletic’s Phil Hay has confirmed that Patrick Bamford will once again be missing for Leeds United as they take on Leicester City this afternoon, while the striker himself has delivered the latest update on where things currently stand with his injury.

What’s the story?

Writing on Twitter on Friday, Hay said: “Bielsa’s pre-Leicester press conference this morning – Bamford, Ayling and Koch are all still unavailable for Sunday. Sounds like everyone else is ready.”

Earlier this week, Bamford himself admitted that his recover from injury is dragging out longer than he initially expected. He said: “It’s okay. It’s a little bit slow. It is [getting better], day by day. It’s just taking a little bit longer than I first thought.

“I think the thing that has got under my skin a little bit this time is that I anticipated I would be back in four weeks and the fact that it has taken longer than that is a little bit hard to get my head around. But now I am seeing improvements.”Fans will be worriedGiven that Bamford was Leeds’ top scorer last season with 17, it’s no surprise that the Whites have really struggled for goals to start this Premier League campaign – they’ve managed just ten in their opening ten games.Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan recently voiced his concern about the kind of impact that not having Bamford in this side would have.He said: “It was one of my biggest fears. How can we live life without Patrick playing from when he’s the one player that really strings everything together up front?”He runs in behind, he runs the channels, takes centre-halves out of positions. His energy, his work right across the backline in the opposition’s defence. There’s not a player like him at the club. That was my worry, if anything did happen, which it has done now. We have seen that difficult side of the game going forward.”The longer that Bamford remains out, the more difficult it becomes to see how the Whites genuinely address their goalscoring issues up front. While Rodrigo may have netted against Norwich last week, the Spaniard hasn’t exactly shown himself to be a prolific forward just yet, and fans will surely be concerned as to when their star centre-forward will come back.Meanwhile, Phil Hay has dropped an exciting 49ers claim…

Manchester United have reportedly entered the race to sign Porto forward Luis Diaz as new interim manager Ralf Rangnick looks to make his mark in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Red Devils are of several European heavyweights interested in snapping up the highly-rated 24-year-old, with Juventus, Bayern Munich and Liverpool also listed as potential suitors.

The report states that Porto’s exit from the Champions League group stage could tempt them into selling their prized asset over the winter, although United’s fierce rivals from Merseyside are thought to be leading the chase.

Previous reports indicated he may not leave for less than €50m (£42m).

Ralf Rangnick would love him

Since arriving at the Estadio do Dragao from his homeland back in 2019, the Colombia international has quickly established himself as a key player for the Dragons.

In 107 appearances for Sergio Conceicao’s charges, Diaz has bagged 38 goals and provided a further 16 assists for his teammates, playing a pivotal part in their domestic double in 2019/20.

His impressive performances at club level have earned the creative talent 31 caps for his country, and he featured heavily for his nation in last summer’s Copa America, finishing as the tournament’s top scorer with four strikes.

And Diaz has elevated his game to new heights in the current campaign. He recently added another superb striking to an already impressive collection with a screamer in against Vitoria Guimaraes.

The beautiful goal was perfectly summed up by Marino Peixoto, a Portuguese football enthusiast, who took to social media to laud the ‘frightening’ South American’s impressive talents.

“The rate at which Luís Diaz is churning out otherworldly performances coupled with his ability to score screamers like this on a consistent basis is genuinely frightening,” he wrote. “Only a matter of time before somebody pays an astronomical fee for him.”

Furthermore, quotes from Sergio Oliveira on the forward paint him in an extremely positive light too: “I don’t have to answer, we know his qualities, apart from the human level he is also extraordinary on a technical level.”

With Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Edinson Cavani and Paul Pogba all out of contract at the conclusion of 2021/22, it’s likely that Rangnick will need some attacking reinforcements over the next couple of transfer windows.

And Diaz could be the ideal candidate to continue the progression being made in the red half of Manchester under the renowned 63-year-old tactician.

Over the last few years, the £22.5m-rated magician has cultivated a reputation for being an elite-level dribbler who is capable of playing defence-splitting passes while also being able to finish with alarming regularity.

Those are a set of frightening and quite frankly jaw-dropping skills that Rangnick would surely love to have at his disposal, meaning a move could be on the cards over the winter window.

And, in other news…Rangnick must seal Man Utd move for £46k-p/w “phenomenon”, he is “out of the ordinary”

As per reliable reporter Alasdair Gold, writing for football.london, there has been an update on Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of yet another Juventus player in USA international Weston McKennie.

The Lowdown: Tottenham’s Serie A shopping spree?

Over these final days of what has been a dramatic January transfer window at Spurs, it appears transfer chief Fabio Paratici has set his sights on raiding former club Juve.

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The Lilywhites are apparently in advanced talks over moves for both Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur, meanwhile the Old Lady’s on loan striker Alvaro Morata has also been linked with a north London move.

Tottenham boss Antonio Conte is running out of time to improve his squad and make necessary adjustments as he aims to propel his new side back into the Champions League.

As such, Gold has now shared news on another Juve man who Paratici has made contact for.

The Latest: Tottenham talks held for McKennie…

According to the football.london journalist, the Spurs managing director has ‘also held talks’ in January with the entourage of their midfield maestro McKennie.

However, as explained by Gold, this potential move is deemed ‘unlikely’ despite Paratici being a ‘huge admirer’.

Turin boss Massimiliano Allegri is believed to be resistant over losing McKennie, who has starred for the Old Lady this season.

The Verdict: Blow for Spurs?

McKennie would have undoubtedly been a shrewd addition with the versatile 23-year-old possessing an abundance of desirable traits.

The Texas-born ace can play in a variety of roles across midfield including defensive, box-to-box, on either flank and even at centre-half – killing many birds with one stone.

It’s little wonder Juve reportedly value McKennie at around £35m, and if his plaudits are anything to go by, you could argue they’re within their rights to demand a greater fee.

Called an ‘outstanding talent’ by former Huddersfield Town boss David Wagner, who managed the player at Schalke, McKennie also lifted the lid on how his old coach in the States branded him a ‘little tank’.

Perhaps he is one for Spurs to revisit in future, but with the window nearing it’s closure, it appears the starlet is out of bounds for now.

In other news: Romano shares late Saturday night development as Spurs table ‘official’ bid for another player, find out more here.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has dropped a promising update on the condition of Josip Juranovic.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by The Celtic Way, the 56-year-old Bhoys boss revealed that the right-back missed the Hoops’ 3-2 victory over Aberdeen on Wednesday evening as a result of illness, before going on to suggest that the 26-year-old could be in line to make a return to first-team action this weekend, and if not, the Europa Conference League clash against Bodo/Glimt next week.

When asked about the Croatia international’s absence, the Greek-Australian manager said: “He’s got an illness mate. [He’ll be back at] the weekend, hopefully, and if not he will definitely be back for the midweek fixture next week.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how important a part of the Celtic squad Juranovic has become since his £2.5m move to Parkhead last summer, the news that the defender does not look as if he will be sidelined for any real length of time is sure to have left the Bhoys fanbase buzzing.

Indeed, over his 20 Premiership outings this season, the £3.6m-rated Croatian has helped his side keep eight clean sheets, scored two goals and created four big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 1.4 key passes, one interception, 1.6 tackles, 1.5 clearances and winning 3.1 duels per game.

These returns have seen the 26-year-old average a rather extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.25, ranking him as the joint tenth-best player in the top flight of Scottish football this term.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the return of the £16k-per-week Juranovic will come as a massive boost to Postecoglou and his side, particularly with the European clash with Bodo/Glimt coming up for the Hoops next week.

In other news: Ange can finally axe “explosive” £12.5k-p/w Celtic dud by unleashing £4k-p/w “athlete”