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TalkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor has been left thrilled by Tottenham Hotspur and their links to Brentford goalkeeper David Raya.

Which goalkeepers could Spurs sign this summer?

Spurs star and long-serving number one Hugo Lloris, by his own admission, could well depart north London this summer as the Frenchman declares that it is time for a new challenge.

Speaking to Nice-Matin recently, Lloris claimed that this could be the end of an era for him at Tottenham, candidly stating that he is looking for opportunities elsewhere.

"We are coming to an important moment, whether for the club or for me. It's the end of an era," said Lloris."I have desires for other things, I will ask myself quietly to study what will be possible. But I don't forget that I still have a year of contract with Tottenham and that in football it is always difficult to predict what will happen."

As such, the Lilywhites, lead by new manager Ange Postecoglou, are in the market for new goalkeepers and have been linked with a fair few names – including Everton's Jordan Pickford and Croatia number one Dominik Livakovic.

Raya has also been repeatedly mentioned as a target for Spurs with reports even suggesting that they're "desperate" for his signing.

The Spaniard is also apparently "ready" to make the move across London, but there is currently a gap in valuation between Spurs and Brentford.

The Bees are holding out for £40 million, but if Tottenham can reach a comprimise, Agboblahor has told Football Insider that he could be a brilliant signing.

"I really like Raya," said Agbonlahor.“They need someone with his attributes – good at playing from the back, good shot-stopper.“I always thought Jordan Pickford would suit Spurs, but Raya is a good option as well.“I think Spurs need to make a top goalkeeper like Raya their first summer signing, for sure, I can see it happening.”

Who is David Raya?

The 27-year-old has been an excellent shot-stopper for Brentford, even ranking among their top five best-performing players per 90 last season according to WhoScored.

Raya, in that time, featured over more league minutes than anybody in Thomas Frank's squad – emphasizing his importance to Brentford and why they're set to dig their heels in over price.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, speaking all the way back in 2021, also hailed Raya for his distribution – claiming he could even wear the number 10 shirt.

Newcastle United have a huge summer transfer window ahead of them before they compete in the Champions League next season and now a new update has emerged on a potential target.

What's the latest on Dominik Szoboszlai to Newcastle?

According to Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg, Newcastle have made RB Leipzig star Dominik Szoboszlai a top target this summer.

Plettenberg tweeted: "News Szoboszlai: Player is very open to leave RB in summer as he’s aware of the concrete interest from NUFC as revealed."

"He’s a top transfer target of NUFC, release clause of around €70m (£60m), RB bosses not happy with his latest statements, it’s a question of the price now."

Who would Szoboszlai replace at Newcastle?

There is no doubt that Eddie Howe will be thrilled with the resilience and quality his squad has shown to achieve a top-four finish in the Premier League and earn qualification for Champions League football this season.

However, it will now be crucial for the Magpies boss to remove any sentiment and focus on the next steps of taking Newcastle to the next level by comfortably competing for multiple trophies and making themselves known on the European stage, which means recruiting high-quality talent to improve the squad further.

As a result, the signing of Szoboszlai could be the perfect opportunity for Howe to deploy an upgrade on Miguel Almiron in the attacking line at St James' Park, as the versatile Hungarian star has been a force to be reckoned with in the Bundesliga.

Over 31 league appearances, the 22-year-old – hailed a "classy talent" by journalist Tomaz Mortimer – has scored six goals, registered eight assists and created a whopping 14 big chances as a market of his end product in the final third.

A tricky offensive outlet, the Hungary international also averaged 2.3 key passes, 1.7 successful dribbles, and 1.9 shots on goal per game.

Not only that, Szoboszlai is clearly a man for the big occasion after scoring the second goal to kill the game in the DFB Pokal Final last night against Eintracht Frankfurt, further demonstrating his ability to soak up the pressure in season-defining games and cup finals which is a mentality that would be massively beneficial to Newcastle in their pursuit of success.

The RB Leipzig ace has also comfortably outperformed Almiron in a number of key attacking attributes this season including shots on target rate (48.3% v 29%), shot-creating actions per 90 (5.52 v 3.14) and goal-creating actions per 90 (0.63 v 0.47), as per FBref.

Whilst Szoboszlai has mostly been deployed on the right wing this season, the young whiz is more than capable of being deployed behind the striker, in an attacking midfield role and on the left flank too, making him an incredibly versatile player who could offer Howe much more than just an upgrade for his Paraguayan positional peer.

With that being said, it would be a no-brainer to snap up the services of the Leipzig star this summer, as he could be exactly what Howe needs to improve and add quality to his attacking threat in order to compete for multiple trophies next season.

Journalist Alasdair Gold has claimed that defender Davinson Sanchez will "struggle" with the style of football Ange Postecoglou wants to play at Tottenham Hotspur.

Will Davinson Sanchez ever play for Spurs again?

It was a pretty disappointing season for the centre-back as he made just eight starts for Spurs in the Premier League.

What's more, he didn't really impress in that limited game time. For instance, he was booed off the field after coming on off the bench only to be subbed just 23 minutes later in a home loss to Bournemouth.

The good news for Sanchez, however, is that a new era is about to begin with former Celtic boss Postecoglou now confirmed as Tottenham's next manager.

The only concern, though, is whether or not the £65k-p/w defender will be well suited to the Australian's tactics. While talking about all this on his YouTube channel, Gold certainly didn't seem to hold out much hope for Sanchez.

He explained: "Some of those players are going to struggle with the playing around from the back.

"You maybe imagine, unfortunately, Davinson Sanchez perhaps will struggle with that. The ability to very quickly and calmly play some of the passes that will be required."

What style of play will Postecoglou bring to Spurs?

Former Spurs goalkeeper – and current Celtic number one – Joe Hart has given some insight on what Tottenham fans and players might expect of their new manager.

Indeed, he told the press (via Keep Up) that Postecoglou will ask his player to stick to his tactic of playing out from the back no matter what.

Hart said: “We live and die by it. I love that opportunity. There’s been many coaches and managers I’m sure out there who say, ‘Look, this is how I want you to play and, if it doesn’t (work), it’s on me’. I have heard that many times.

“But I genuinely feel comfortable making risky passes, short passes, and if someone does miss a pass or a tackle and the ball goes in, I don’t think any of us would even flinch because that’s what we are being asked to do."

It seems, then, the Spurs defenders will need nerves of steel to stay calm under press and play out from the back.

Seeing as Sanchez has been accused of bringing "the panic in the stadium" by Jermaine Jenas on Match of the Day (via TeamTalk) before, he might not be an ideal fit for Postecoglou.

Only time will tell but it's not looking good for the Colombian.

Insider Dean Jones has exclusively revealed that Rangers want to sign a new goalkeeper "quite fast" as they eye up Jack Butland.

What are the latest Rangers transfer rumours?

With the Scottish Premiership now over, the Ibrox outfit can start planning for next season and they could be set for a busy summer.

Indeed, Michael Beale will have a big job on his hands as he looks to build a team in his image and keep Rangers as competitive as possible in the near future.

There has been plenty of talk now for some time about the need for a new goalkeeper with 41-year-old Allan McGregor on his way out.

Well, it seems that the Scottish outfit don't want to hang around on finding his replacement and may have already lined up a move for Butland.

Indeed, when speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, journalist Jones revealed what he's heard may happen at Ibrox.

He said: "Yeah, I think we're going to get some early clarification on this. I think Rangers intend to go ahead and sign a new goalkeeper quite fast.

"Butland [is] definitely one of the ones that they have looked into."

How much will Butland cost Rangers?

McGregor played the most minutes in between the sticks for Rangers this season, while Jon McLaughlin and Robby McCrorie also featured at different points.

But with the preferred option departing, it makes sense for Beale to now target a new signing in goal as a priority to get sorted as soon as possible.

Still only 30 years old, Butland could arrive with his best years as a goalkeeper yet to come. However, he has not played a single game this term having started the season with Crystal Palace before heading on loan to Manchester United.

Even so, his contract expires in the summer and is reportedly happy to leave for free and join Rangers even if it means taking a pay cut to get the deal done.

At Man Utd, he was on £35k-p/w but if Beale and co could get that down – as well as not having to pay a transfer fee – this could be a more affordable deal.

Former Scotland goalkeeper Alan Rough has already approved the deal too, telling the PLZ Football Show (via Ibrox News): “No [no surprise], that’s the kind of goalkeeper they would go for.

“He’s been about playing at the top level down there. He comes into the category of yeah, I think it will be a good signing.

“He’s been hanging around the England set-up previously so he’s got something and when I saw his name I thought good choice.”

Liverpool are expected to complete the appointment of Jorg Schmadtke as the Premier League club's new sporting director "in the next days", according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Who is Jorg Schmadtke?

Schmadtke is a German former professional manager turned sporting director and has vast experience off the field, having previously carried out spells with Alemannia Aachen, Hannover 96, FC Koln and most recently Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga, and since Julian Ward announced back in November that he would be departing at the end of the season, FSG appear to have identified the 59-year-old as a potential ideal successor.

As quoted by The Telegraph, Jurgen Klopp confirmed during a public interview that he holds an existing relationship with his compatriot, but insisted that any kind of move being completed would not simply be as a result of their friendship, and now, the behind-the-scenes figure is set to put pen to paper on a short-term deal.

Are Liverpool appointing Schmadtke?

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Liverpool are closing in on a deal for Schmadtke, with the appointment likely to be finalised imminently over the course of the next week. The Italian reporter wrote:

"Jorg Schmadtke will be in England in the next days in order to sign the contract as new Liverpool director, as expected. Former Wolfsburg director will work with Jurgen Klopp on strategy and signings — the manager will remain crucial figure to make decisions."

Schmadtke only announced his retirement five months ago, so the fact that he’s willing to come out of it so soon must mean that he believes he can help Liverpool progress over the summer – and there is plenty of work for him to be getting underway with, especially in strengthening the midfield area, which has been highlighted as a priority position.

The Dusseldorf native has a good track record of identifying stars in the making, having signed Wout Weghorst at Wolfsburg, who had a fantastic spell at the club posting 92 goal contributions in 144 appearances, while he is now, of course, playing in the top flight with Manchester United.

Football Insider has already reported that FSG will give the sporting director the opportunity to extend his stay should he impress during his work in the coming months, and a longer-term contract would be fully deserved should he manage to secure the club's top targets alongside Klopp ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Crystal Palace are keeping tabs on Derby County forward Malcolm Ebiowei, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Johnstone move

Patrick Vieira is looking to make a head start prior to the summer transfer window officially opening and appears to be closing in on a first piece of business.

The Eagles have reportedly held talks with West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, with the 29-year-old set to become a free agent from June.

Johnstone is thought to be excited over a return to the Premier League with Palace, but the club seem to already be eyeing up their next target.

The Latest: Ebiowei links

Romano took to Twitter on Thursday evening to post an update regarding Ebiowei. The transfer expert stated that both Palace and Manchester United are tracking the ‘talented striker’.

AS Monaco and SBV Vitesse are also interested in the 18-year-old, with Romano adding that Steve McClaren’s return to Old Trafford from Derby could play a factor in Ebiowei’s next move.

The Verdict: Plange 2.0?

Palace struck a deal with Derby back in January for another young forward, Luke Plange. The club sent the 19-year-old back to Derby on loan until the end of the season, where he continued to play regularly under Wayne Rooney.

Ebiowei could well follow in Plange’s footsteps and started Derby’s final 11 Championship games as a right-winger, scoring and providing an assist in a 2-0 win over Blackpool.

He can play anywhere across the front three and is a man in demand, so it could be wise for the Eagles to firm up their interest over the coming weeks, aiming to take advantage of Derby’s financial struggles once again.

In other news: ‘Interested…’ – Transfer insider drops big Palace claim involving ‘brilliant’ EPL supremo. 

Manchester United are once again being linked with a sensational move for Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni, according to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: United linked with Bastoni

A product of the youth system at Serie A club Atalanta, Bastoni is a rising star of Italian football and has already amassed 120 top-flight outings despite his tender years.

Recently, an initial report from FC Inter 1908 claimed that the Red Devils are keen on the 23-year-old Italy international, who is under contract in Milan until 2024 (Transfermarkt).

It now seems as though that interest could be growing, as a reputable Italian newspaper provides a fresh update…

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The latest: Ten Hag’s admiration for Bastoni

As per Gazzetta dello Sport, translated by Sport Witness, United are in the mix to sign Bastoni as Inter try to avoid selling Lautaro Martinez.

It is claimed that Erik ten Hag likes the 11-cap Italy defender ‘a lot’ and that the Red Devils present the ‘most credible’ interest in making the move happen.

The report added that it would take a fee of ‘at least’ €60m (£51.1m) in order to make the deal to bring the youngster a reality.

The verdict: Statement signing

As Ten Hag gets to grips with the task at hand at Old Trafford, signing a player of Bastoni’s calibre would be a remarkable start to his reign in Manchester.

Despite adding Raphael Varane to a defence containing Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly, United continued to leak goals at an alarming rate, posting the worst concession rate among the top seven finishers in the Premier League.

During the 2021/22 campaign, the 6 foot 3 giant earned an outstanding 7.10 Sofascore rating whilst winning 4.1 duels and making 1.8 clearances and 1.4 tackles on average per game. He has also been hailed as ‘world class’ by journalist Kaustubh Pandey.

That form, combined with the scope in which the 23-year-old has to develop even further, makes the £54m-valued Bastoni a worthy target for bolster United’s defensive ranks.

In other news: Man Utd and Ten Hag launch ‘important offer’ to sign ‘the future’ of football along with De Jong

According to a report from reputable German outlet SportBILD (via Sport Witness), Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Sebastian Rode. 

The lowdown: European glory

Having enjoyed somewhat of a journeyman career across Germany, the 31-year-old spent time at Kickers Offenbach, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund before arriving at newly crowed Europa League winners Frankfurt in 2019.

Rode has since made 228 appearances for the Bundesliga side and was named captain in June 2021 before playing a leading role in the victory over Rangers in Seville on Wednesday night.

The experienced defensive midfielder earned an impressive 7.20 Sofascore rating on Wednesday night, winning five duels, making four key passes and creating one big chance, all whilst suffering from a badly cut head early on in the match.

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Now a move out of his homeland may beckon…

The latest: Wolves make pre-summer approach

As per SportBILD, translated by SW, Wolves and Brentford have both ‘already approached’ Rode regarding the move.

It’s claimed that the Wanderers initiated the contract following performances in Europe that were ‘so good’ that Bruno Lage has acted upon the interest.

Under contract until 2024 (Transfermarkt), it’s not stated how much it would take to prise away the man who was once Pep Guardiola’s ‘favourite player’ during their time together at Bayern.

The verdict: Smart signing

Albeit the combative former Germany youth ace isn’t getting any younger, with doubts over the future of Leander Dendoncker, Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves at Molineux, signing Rode would be a huge boost to Lage’s squad depth.

So far this season, the midfield warrior – who is a close stylistic match with Molineux stalwart Moutinho (Fbref) – has scored once in 28 appearances across all competitions.

Regardless of the aforementioned midfield trio’s status at the club beyond the summer, with five major honours to his name, Rode would be a smart capture as Wolves look to move onto the next step of their development in the Premier League.

In other news… Wanderers are now believed to be the ‘main favourites’ in the race for one of their summer transfer targets.

Sheffield United host Nottingham Forest this afternoon for the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final, with both sides hopeful of making it to the Premier League.

The Blades could secure promotion back to the top-flight at the first time of asking after last season’s relegation, whereas Forest haven’t been amongst English football’s elite for 23 years.

Paul Heckingbottom and his players will be particularly cautious that they don’t make a mistake which could cost them the tie after the first leg, but how are the South Yorkshire outfit looking ahead of today’s clash?

Injury news

As per Nottinghamshire Live, Blades captain Billy Sharp is edging closer to a return, with Heckingbottom stating: “Bill’s another few days closer. We’d like him to be (available), if he’s able to play some part in the tie. If he’s not ready, he’s not ready. He is doing all he can and the staff are doing all they can to make sure there is that opportunity.”

Meanwhile, both Morgan Gibbs-White and George Baldock appear to be available, whilst long-term absentees Rhian Brewster, Jayden Bogle, Oli McBurnie and Jack O’Connell all remain sidelined.

Sheffield United predicted XI

After a thumping 4-0 victory over Championship winners Fulham on the final day to secure a play-off spot, whether or not Heckingbottom will make changes to that side for today’s match is up for debate.

Here is how Football FanCast expects the Blades to line up against Nottingham Forest…

Sheffield United XI: Foderingham, Basham, Egan, Robinson, Baldock, Norwood, Fleck, Stevens, Berge, Gibbs-White, Ndiaye

With uncertainty as to whether or not Sharp will be fit to make the squad, we don’t expect the striker to be ready to start this afternoon.

The only change from the victory over Fulham comes at right-wing-back, with Baldock taking the place of Ben Osborn.

With the 29-year-old now appearing to be fully fit after only being able to make the bench last weekend, he returns to the starting line-up to make his first appearance in almost a month.

Labelled “superb” by BBC pundit Garth Crooks after a goal against Norwich City in the 2019/20 season, the £23k-per-week Englishman is a kingpin for the Blades and deserves to feature in their biggest match of the season so far.

The decision would arguably be harsh on Osborn, whose last goal for United came in a 3-2 victory at Barnsley in October, a game which the wing-back described as “mad”.

Having gone through the youth ranks at Nottingham Forest and joined the Blades from the Reds, the 27-year-old has had a solid season, making 34 appearances in the Championship.

However, being predominantly a left-sided player, Baldock pips the £2.2m-rated Derby native to a place in the starting lineup now that he is fit.

It’s a crunch game for both sides, who will be looking to get themselves one step closer to Wembley after today’s showdown at Bramall Lane.

AND in other news: This is the Forest predicted XI that FFC is forecasting

Harry Kane was left a mere passenger as Tottenham Hotspur held out for a draw against title-chasing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday evening.

Perhaps it was a by-product of the way Antonio Conte set up his side but the England skipper struggled to have any sort of influence on the game as a late, deflected Luiz Diaz strike salvaged a point for the home side.

Heung-min Son had opened the scoring in typical fashion, slotting home from six yards out after Ryan Sessegnon squared the ball across the box for his 20th Premier League goal of the season.

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But in lasting the whole 90 minutes, Kane was pretty anonymous barring one or two flashes at goal. He registered the fewest touches of any Spurs starter (35), three less than goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (38), who was also much better in possession.

Indeed, the £90m-rated talisman made only 50% of his passes, attempting just 18 all match. By comparison, Lloris made 20 successful passes, which includes goal kicks and was more than Kane’s overall attempts, via SofaScore.

Kane also struggled to make much of an impact inside the box, failing to register a single shot on or off target, with his only effort being blocked.

Meanwhile, from his 35 touches, he lost possession 16 times, meaning he gifted the ball back to Jurgen Klopp’s Reds once every two times he had the ball, which was also once every 5.6 minutes.

The 28-year-old striker is in a rough patch right now, scoring just once in his last seven league outings but he’s always going to struggle to find the net if he’s only seeing the ball every five or six minutes – he certainly won’t get on the scoresheet without a shot on target either.

As The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick wrote in his post-match ratings column, the Lilywhites forward was ‘a yard off the pace, which hampered Spurs’ ability to play on the counter,’ whilst he was among Alasdair Gold’s worst-rated starters, too.

Kane may have had a big part to play in Son’s opener, providing a sublime pass to Sessegnon out wide but aside from that, he was left a shadow of his goalscoring best.

The Englishman was once dubbed a “monster” by his South Korean teammate for his efforts in a 4-1 win over this very team back in 2017, so to deliver this sort of performance is a big contrast.

Fewer touches than the goalkeeper, no shots on target – Kane certainly suffered as a striker at Anfield but that’s not his fault, given the way Conte set up his side this weekend.

AND in other news, Forget Son: “Sensational” Spurs titan who had 11 clearances stole the show at Anfield…