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Liverpool have been linked with a move for Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.

The Lowdown: De Ligt impressing at Juve

The 22-year-old has been considered one of the world’s leading young centre-backs for an extended period now, having burst onto the scene for Ajax back in 2o18/19, helping them reach the Champions League semi-finals.

De Ligt is now impressing at Juve, making 30 Serie A appearances this season and even being compared to Cristiano Ronaldo by Edwin van der Sar, in terms of his mentality.

Th £63million-rated Dutchman may not be out of contract until 2024 but that hasn’t stopped an exit rumour from doing the rounds.

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The Latest: Liverpool linked with move

According to Calciomercato [via Sport Witness], Juve have to ‘watch out’ for interest from Premier League clubs, with Liverpool name-checked in the report.

De Ligt has ‘no plans to leave’ the Turin giants currently, however, so it does appear as though a transfer is unlikely to materialise, but the outlet seems fearful of interest from the Reds.

The Verdict: Is he needed?

While De Ligt is a fantastic defender who most clubs in Europe would want – he’s been called ‘incredible’ by Andrea Barzagli – Liverpool simply have no reason to need him at the moment.

In Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate, Jurgen Klopp has three outstanding centre-backs at his disposal, while Joe Gomez also remains a great option, despite injury problems.

Further down the line, De Ligt could be a perfect signing for Liverpool – Van Dijk and Matip both turn 31 this year – but he may have moved elsewhere by the time the Reds duo are no longer at their best.

In other news, a journalist says there is ‘strong interest’ in one Liverpool player. Find out who it is here.

While things very much appear to be on the up for Tottenham Hotspur at present – with Antonio Conte having clawed Champions League qualification back into Spurs’ hands going into the final day of the season, Fabio Paratici having secured several extremely impressive signings in the transfer market and Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski having formed a breathtakingly deadly attacking trio – there are still remnants of the old Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Indeed, with the likes of Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Harry Winks, Joe Rodon, Emerson Royal, Sergio Reguilon, Steven Bergwijn, Jack Clarke and Lucas Moura all looking as if they could be moved on at the end of the current campaign, it is clear to see that there is a great deal of deadwood that must be shifted in order for to Tottenham to truly progress under the management of Conte in 2022/23.

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This is largely down to Daniel Levy failing to implement a long-term transfer strategy at Spurs in years gone by, something that has also cost the club dearly in the targets they ended up choosing not to pursue – arguably the most notable of which was when the chairman backed out of a deal to bring then-Southampton forward Sadio Mane to Spurs in the summer of 2016.

Indeed, The Times reported back in 2017 that the Senegal international came so close to joining Spurs that he visited Hotspur Way to discuss a transfer from the South Coast side, only for Mauricio Pochettino to fail to convince Levy to meet the 24-year-old’s wage demands – with Mane ultimately sealing a £34m switch to Liverpool.

Since then, the £72m-rated winger has developed into one of the top forwards in world football, having scored 119 goals and registered 48 assists over his 267 appearances for the Reds.

That’s helped Jurgen Klopp’s side lift almost every trophy the club game has to offer, including the Premier League, the Champions League, the FIFA Club World Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup, as well as winning the 2018/19 Premier League Golden Boot.

As such, it is clear for all to see that Levy had a nightmare when deciding against a move for the £100k-per-week man who Jamie Carragher dubbed “underrated” back in 2016.

AND in other news: Paratici must brutally axe “unnecessary” £12.5m Spurs flop, he’s “damaging” for Conte

As interest surrounds Dominic Calvert-Lewin ahead of the summer transfer window, Frank Lampard could be heading for his first Everton nightmare in charge of the club.

What’s the word?

The Telegraph have reported that Newcastle United are planning an ambitious bid to bring the England striker to St James Park.

This could well depend on whether or not Everton are relegated from the Premier League, as it’s unlikely that Calvert-Lewin would want to feature in the Championship.

The Daily Mail claimed in March that his transfer fee could be north of £60m, and with the money being spent recently at Newcastle, that surely wouldn’t put them off.

Supporters will be livid

Lampard has had a difficult start to life with Everton, although a recent resurgence looks set to ensure they remain in the Premier League by the skin of their teeth.

What the manager can’t afford is his finest talents leaving Goodison Park, though, especially for divisional rivals.

Calvert-Lewin is essential to Everton improving as a squad, and despite him only netting three Premier League goals in an injury-plagued season, his record in previous campaigns suggests that Lampard has a wonderful talent on his hands who should be kept at all costs.

Signed from Sheffield United for only £1.5m back in 2016, the striker’s ascendency to the top has been remarkable. Since then, he has scored 56 goals in 188 matches for the Toffees, adding a further 17 assists as the team has generally underperformed under a series of managers.

England recognition followed in 2020 and he has since netted four times in just 11 appearances for the Three Lions, whilst also being part of the squad which finished runners-up to Italy in the delayed Euro 2020 tournament.

This shows just how highly Calvert-Lewin is rated, and with his former manager Carlo Ancelotti labelling him a “top striker”, there could be no limits as to his career progression

Lampard might face a testing summer transfer window, and it would be a nightmarish move from him if he allows his star striker to join a Premier League rival – assuming, of course, that Everton maintain their place in the top flight.

AND in other news: Everton can finally axe “poor” £68k-p/w dud by signing 22-year-old with “huge potential”

Manchester United failed to make any new signings in the January transfer window, and it could be something the board live to regret after it was revealed that a fierce rival signed one of Ralf Rangnick’s targets, who has been flourishing since he arrived in the Premier League.

Liverpool signed Luis Diaz from Porto for an initial fee of £37m on a five-and-a-half year deal on Deadline Day, and Fabrizio Romano has now revealed that the German interim coach was refused the opportunity to sign the winger.

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Romano tweeted: “Ralf Rangnick reveals he wanted a new striker at Man Utd in January: “But the answer from the board was: ‘No’. There were Luís Díaz, who is now at Liverpool; Julián Álvarez, who will be at Man City in the summer; and Vlahovic, who at the time was still with Fiorentina.”

Following the dismissal of Rangnick’s player wish-list back in January, the Man United board are surely rueing their decision not to sign the Columbian forward who has made a huge instant impact just a few miles down the road.

In the short time since joining Liverpool less than five months ago, the 21-goal star who is now believed to be worth £60m has established himself as a starter pushing Diogo Jota out of the starting line-up, tallying up five goals and three assists which is a better goal contribution than Marcus Rashford and Anthony Elanga in less than half a season.

Diaz has also created two big chances, making 1.5 key passes on average per game, as well as being successful in the majority of his dribbles (66%) and completing an average pass accuracy of 88%, proving that he is not afraid to impose himself on his opponents, links up play well and has become an absolute nightmare for anyone he comes up against in the Premier League.

A player just like the left winger is exactly what Manchester United have been crying out for all season, with Rashford failing to hit the ground running throughout the season, and with speculation mounting about the winger’s future, Diaz would have been the ideal replacement should the Mancunian forward leave this summer.

The United board and Erik ten Hag cannot afford to miss the chance to snap up a player of this calibre again and must identify players this summer that can make a similar level of impact that Diaz has made at Liverpool this season if they stand any chance of competing for trophies next season.

AND in other news: Forget McTominay: MUFC must brutally axe “pathetic” dud who won 0 duels v Brighton

New West Brom signing Erik Pieters is ‘in contention’ to make his first start for the club against Norwich City, according to reliable journalist Joe Chapman.

The Lowdown: Huge game for Bruce

The Baggies suffered arguably their worst result of the season so far on Wednesday evening, losing 3-2 at home to struggling Birmingham City.

It has heaped further pressure on manager Steve Bruce, who will know that results have to drastically improve if he is to keep his job.

On Saturday afternoon, West Brom heading to high-flying Norwich for a tough Championship fixture – a game that could see Pieters make his Baggies full debut following his arrival on a free transfer.

The Latest: Pieters could make first start

According to The Birmingham Mail‘s Chapman, Pieters could start at Carrow Road after yet another injury issue, this time for Kyle Bartley:

“Pieters, 34, is in contention to make his first start for Albion on Saturday when they make the trip east to Norwich City with question marks over the inclusions of Bartley and Townsend after their respective Blues showings.”

The Verdict: Massive game

This could certainly be a baptism of fire for Pieters, who would come up against a Norwich side sitting second in the Championship and looking set for another promotion charge.

A huge performance is required by West Brom and their new signing will need to be up to speed if he starts, or the match could easily get away from him and his teammates. He was described as ‘outstanding’ by former Stoke City manager Paul Lambert in the past, which bodes well, but one has to wonder if he has the sharpness or form to live up to that billing.

A defeat may prove to be the end for Bruce, although the manner of it could ultimately be key, with a heavy loss potentially too concerning for the owners to ignore.

West Ham United have endured a dire start to the new Premier League season thus far, having suffered five defeats from their opening seven top-flight games, including their latest loss at the hands of fellow strugglers Everton at Goodison Park.

The Hammers must be contemplating just what has gone wrong after two hugely impressive seasons under manager David Moyes prior to the current campaign, with the former Toffees boss having secured European qualification in successive seasons.

The east Londoners had looked set to build on that recent rise having enjoyed what had appeared to be a strong window with regards to recruitment – completing eight major summer deals – although those arrivals have failed to have the desired effect thus far.

It is not just the new faces who have underwhelmed at the London Stadium in recent months, however, with Jarrod Bowen one of the notable figures to have suffered a drastic downturn in performances following what had been a sparkling 2021/22 campaign.

Plucked from Hull City in January 2020 on a £20m deal, the 25-year-old has since gone on to become a key figure for the Irons in recent seasons, scoring 29 goals and registering 23 assists in 113 games in all competitions to date.

That haul was largely bolstered by a particularly fruitful run of goalscoring form last season, as the £96k-per-week menace scored 12 goals and registered a further ten assists in the top-flight alone, while his tally of 31 goal contributions in all competitions was the highest of any player in the West Ham squad last term.

Such sparkling form has seen the former Hereford United man linked with a move to Liverpool in recent times, with the winger potentially set to command a fee of around £75m were he to be sold in the near future.

Equally, that potent attacking threat saw the forward catch the eye of England boss Gareth Southgate at the end of last season, resulting in his first appearances at senior level for his country during the Nations League meetings in June.

To the surprise of some, the £37.8m-rated man has retained his place in the Three Lions squad for the upcoming international break, despite having endured a relatively “poor start” to the season in the words of Martin Laurence.

While the new campaign is still in its infancy, Moyes will no doubt be concerned that the wide man has failed to register a single goal or assist in the league thus far, scoring his only two goals in Europa Conference League qualifying and the subsequent group stage.

Although the Hammers boss has suggested there are “signs” that Bowen could be getting back to his best, the latter man failed to make the difference once again in the recent defeat on Merseyside, failing to record a single successful dribble and losing possession 20 times from just 59 touches.

The hope will be that the Leominster-born gem can rediscover his confidence over the next week or so while on international duty, with West Ham needing him to be fit and firing once league action resumes next month.