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Former Everton star Michael Ball believes Everton won’t be willing to pay a huge fee to bring Nikola Vlasic back to the club this summer.

The Toffees have been linked with a potential swoop for their former player and his agent has already confirmed that he could well leave CSKA Moscow this summer.

Vlasic, a Croatia international who has been with his country at Euro 2020, spent the 2017/18 season with the Toffees, making 12 appearances in the Premier League, before moving to CSKA.

Everton banked £14m from the Russian club when he moved and Ball does not believe they will be willing to pay a higher fee than that to bring him back to Merseyside.

Since his move to CSKA, Vlasic, who can play as an attacking midfielder and as a winger on either side, has made 103 appearances and scored 33 goals, while also laying on 20 assists.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Ball said: “He did have a talent, he was very young when he was at Everton, but the money side of things, I don’t think Everton will be happy to be paying more than what they sold him for.

“It’s an interesting one but it’s the type of position Everton have been looking to improve on in the summer, bringing players in, and Vlasic could be one of those players.”

Conor Coady is one Wolves player who could lose out following Bruno Lage’s appointment, journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast.

Lage was appointed as Wolves boss last month and is a manager known for playing 4-4-2.

In contrast, his predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo preferred using a 3-4-3 or something close to that formation during his time at Molineux, meaning a central defender like Coady had more support and cover around him.

With that not being there in a back four, which Lage could potentially use in the upcoming season, Hatfield fears for the England international’s future.

“In terms of winners and losers, I think there’s a real question mark now over a key player really in Conor Coady,” the Express & Star journalist said.

“He is vitally important to them in terms of leadership. The question has always been can he do it in a four? Nuno obviously kind of shifted him as a defensive midfielder into a three and it worked incredibly well in that central role.

“But when Wolves have played a four, he’s been a little bit isolated at times and there are question marks over that. So I think there are serious question marks over him.”

Indeed, there is a bit of uncertainty surrounding Coady following Lage’s arrival. As well as the doubts about whether he can play in a back four, the 28-year-old is also being linked with a move to Everton.

According to Football Insider, new Everton manager Rafael Benitez has given his club the green light to move for the Wolves man.

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to secure a deal to bring Bologna defender Takehiro Tomiyasu to the club as they aim to complete their first signing under Nuno Espirito Santo.

What’s the story?

According to well-known journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Spurs have ma the Italian outfit, although negotiations are still ongoing.

He tweeted: “Tottenham are still working on Takehiro Tomiyasu deal. Opening bid around €18m [add ons included] to Bologna still on the table, price tag around €20/25m. Negotiations ongoing. Tomiyasu wants to join Spurs.”

Italian outlet Tuttosport (as reported by Sport Witness), provided an update on the situation following Romano’s tweet, claiming that the north London outfit must raise their offer by €2m to make it a new total of around €20m (£17.1m), in order to meet Bologna’s valuation.

Nuno will surely be buzzing

Espirito Santo will be looking to make some key additions to his first-team squad this summer after the capital club finished a hugely disappointing 2020/21 campaign in seventh position.

Several stars have been linked with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in recent weeks, but it’s 22-year-old centre-back Tomiyasu who appears to be the closest to signing on the dotted line.

At first glance, the Japan international appears to be an extremely astute purchase, should chairman Daniel Levy get this deal over the line.

He’s comfortable playing at right-back as well as at the heart of the defence, and his versatility will be a very useful asset, given that Espirito Santo showed at Wolves that he often likes to switch between a back four and a back five.

A current teammate of Tomiyasu’s at Bologna, Mitchell Dijks, lauded the youngster back in 2019 saying: “He is very strong, a real Japanese warrior,” after a string of impressive displays.

Since then, the former Sint-Truiden ace has gone from strength to strength. He made 1.5 tackles per league game last term, 1.7 interceptions and 3.3 clearances, placing him in the top three compared to his teammates for each metric.

Therefore, news that Spurs aren’t far away from agreeing on terms for Tomiyasu with his current club will surely leave Espirito Santo buzzing.

He would be a quality first addition to the Portuguese tactician’s reign, and give him a solid base to build from at Tottenham.

And, in other news…Nuno could find his next Jimenez with Spurs swoop for £25m beast who lit up Euro 2020 

Victor Orta could deliver another Raphinha-esque masterclass for Leeds United by signing West Brom star Matheus Pereira this summer.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have suggested that the Whites are interested in signing the Brazilian this summer, and it’s even been claimed that he could be available for as little as £15m.

And now, speaking exclusively to This is Futbol, David Norris has said: “If you’re scoring goals in a relegated team, when it’s hard enough to create chances, then you’re doing something right – £15m is nothing. We spoke about Leeds and their budget, but £15m for a player that scores goals in a struggling team makes sense.”

Another Raphinha masterclass from Orta

Having a sealed a deal for Raphinha for just £17m last year, it’s safe to say Orta played an absolute blinder for Leeds.

And in Pereira, Orta could do exactly that the same.

Hailed as a “genius” who “who has a technical ability that I have never seen before” by former Nurnberg coach Nate Weiss, Pereira enjoyed a superb campaign in the Premier League last season, netting 11 goals and provided a further six assists as he tried to rescue his Baggies side from relegation.

Former Leeds man Noel Whelan has already talked up the prospect of Pereira joining the likes of Raphinha at Elland Road previously, saying: “It is a mouth-watering prospect. We missed out on certain players last season, and this is a player that excites everybody. I would definitely take him all day long.

“He’s a fantastic player, he’s great on the ball, he can turn people inside out. Pereira’s another option we can use right across that front three and maybe in a number 10 role as well. He’s the right age and he’s the sort of player we should be looking at. Imagine, if you put him alongside Raphinha, Rodrigo, Harrison etc, that’s pretty formidable.”

In fact, Pereira’s average of two shots and 1.8 key passes per game in the Premier League last season was only a touch lower than Raphinha (2.2 and 2.1), while he was actually fouled significantly more times than his Brazilian counterpart (1.6 to one).

And, after a particularly fine performance earlier this year in the Premier League against Aston Villa, former England ace Jermain Jenas said of the 25-year-old: “He’s just silky. When he’s on it, he’s just got that lovely left-foot, (tucked) his penalty away, the delivery into the box for set-pieces was brilliant, and he wanted to showcase his skills.”

Given the relatively cheap price the Whites could get him for, Orta could deliver another transfer masterclass with Pereira just like he did with Raphinha last summer.

Meanwhile, Leeds have been handed a major Marcelo Bielsa boost…

Some details have been shared of talks between MP Chi Onwurah, Amanda Staveley and Mehrdad Ghodoussi on the potential takeover of Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Feelings known

Staveley, who is part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium looking to take over at St James’ Park, spoke to Sky Sports referencing a letter that she wrote urging both the UK government and football regulators to ensure that the upcoming arbitration case against the Premier League is to be made public in order to give more transparency to the situation.

Her husband Ghodoussi has accused the Premier League of ‘delay tactics’ and ‘zero transparency’ in a strongly-worded tweet, claiming that ‘fans deserve better’.

The Latest: Staveley talks

Speaking to The Chronicle, Newcastle Central MP Onwurah has shared some details of a conversation she has had with both Staveley and Ghodoussi over the consequences of the Premier League’s actions over the whole takeover saga, and vowed to push for answers from them, saying:

“My conversation with Ms Staveley and Mr Ghodoussi gave me greater insight into the consequences of the Premier League’s actions for the takeover, the club, the fans and the city.

“I find it entirely unacceptable that key decisions which affect this critical cultural and economic asset of ours should be taken without any accountability or transparency, leaving it for fans to speculate on the true reasons behind the Premier League’s actions and who is influencing them.

“I shall be pursuing my quest for answers with the Premier League and the government. Oliver Dowden says football is nothing without the fans, but is content to allow the Premier League to shut them out entirely of key decisions about the club.

“Boris Johnson says he is serious about levelling up, but not levelling up North East football fans to at least a spectator’s seat at the Premier League table.”

The Verdict: Transparency needed

The Toon Army certainly deserve some transparency for the forthcoming arbitration process, so the Premier League should also be calling for it to be made public.

The whole takeover saga has simply gone on long enough now as Newcastle have gone into another summer transfer window with uncertainty. That does not bode well for their preparations ahead of the new 2021/22 season, which is set to begin in five weeks’ time.

The Magpies will be hoping that the arbitration hearing is as swift as possible so that they can find out the results that they need, and potentially speed up the takeover process.

In other news, NUFC are favourites to sign this Premier League colossus once dubbed an ‘absolute beast’

West Ham United are lining up a move to bring Ike Ugbo to the London Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Belgian publication Het Belang van Limburg (via Sport Witness), who claimed that West Ham and Fulham have joined the race to sign the Chelsea centre-forward in the summer transfer window, with Genk, Eintracht Frankfurt, Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven also believed to be keen on the 22-year-old.

Fabrizio Romano had reported earlier this week that Genk were leading the race to sign the former England under-20 international this summer, and with the latest update claiming that Ugbo would prefer regular playing time over a contract on a large amount of money, it seems as if the Belgian club could still be in pole position for the transfer.

Either way, HBVL report that it would cost between €3m (£2.5m) and €5m (£4.3m) plus a percentage of the fee received for his future sale in order to get a deal over the line for the striker this summer, something which should be easily affordable for a Europa League club such as the Hammers.

Fans surely buzzing

While convincing Ugbo of a switch to West Ham may be a tricky task this summer, to hear that David Moyes is targeting such a young and exciting player to finally fill the gap in his attacking options left by Sebastien Haller’s January sale is sure to have fans buzzing.

Indeed, over his 32 Jupiler Pro League appearances while on loan at Cercle Brugge last season, the £38,000-per-week forward scored a remarkable 16 goals, along with taking 1.8 shots and making 0.5 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £4.05m-rated man earn an impressive average SofaScore match rating of 6.79, ranking him as the club’s eighth-best performer in the Belgian top flight.

The man the Belgian media dubbed a “decisive” player also returned decent numbers over 28 appearances in the Keuken Kampioen Divisie during a loan spell at Roda JC back in 2019/20, bagging 13 goals and registering three assists in the second tier of Dutch football.

As such, while the 22-year-old does not have much experience at the top level of the English game, it would nevertheless seem that Ugbo knows how to find the back of the net in whichever team, league or country he happens to be playing his football, obviously a very attractive trait to have as a centre-forward.

If West Ham were to get a deal over the line for the Chelsea youngster ahead of next season, we would not bet against him going on to once again return decent numbers at the London Stadium; and with the forward available for a fee of less than £5m, he would certainly appear a risk worth taking for GSB this summer.

In other news: Moyes dealt major blow in talks with £10m goal machine, West Ham fans will be gutted

Writing on Twitter, Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor has made a West Ham United transfer claim involving Ukraine international striker Roman Yaremchuk.

The Lowdown: West Ham in striker hunt…

As per C&H, the striking position is a priority for manager David Moyes this summer as West Ham seek to bring in a much-needed alternative to current forward man Michail Antonio.

The Englishman was a key player for West Ham over 2020/2021, scoring 10 goals and assisting five others in 24 Premier League starts, but he was also sidelined consistently throughout the campaign.

Yaremchuk has been touted as one of the forwards on Moyes’ radar after an impressive Euro 2020 campaign, with journalist Taylor now backing these claims on social media.

The Latest: Journalist backs Yaremchuk interest…

Dropping a claim on Twitter, the Express reporter states that Gent’s colossal 6 foot 3 forward is ‘100%’ a target for West Ham this summer.

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Yaremchuk netted 17 goals in the Belgian Pro League last season and also enjoyed stellar Euro 2020 outings under national team boss Andriy Shevchenko.

The 25-year-old scored two goals in five matches for Ukraine at the major tournament and currently holds a market value of around £15.75 million according to Transfermarkt.

The Verdict: Great option…

Only in his mid-20s and a big physical presence, Yaremchuk arguably has the credentials to shine in England and could make West Ham some profit in the future with the potential for a bigger sell-on value.

The forward is currently in great form for both club and country, bagging 23 strikes in all competitions for Gent over 2020/2021, and Moyes could find a fantastic Tammy Abraham alternative in the player.

One would have to assume he would come a lot cheaper than Abraham, given the latter is homegrown and younger, but perhaps his physicality makes him the perfect deputy for Antonio.

In other news: ‘Blimey’, ‘I am salivating’…West Ham fans flock to ‘exciting’ club announcement, find out more here.

Former Tottenham captain Graham Roberts could see new Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo signing Conor Coady from former club Wolves.

The 28-year old was a big favourite of Nuno Espirito Santo’s when he was at Molineux, as he gave him the captain’s armband.

Coady appeared in all but one of Wolves’ Premier League games last season and has been an integral part of the club since joining back in 2015 from Huddersfield Town.

With plenty of Premier League experience, Roberts wouldn’t be surprised if he joins Nuno at Tottenham, saying: “He loves him, he’s made him his captain there when he was at Wolves. 

“He done really well for him, so yeah, I wouldn’t rule that out.”

If Spurs opt to add Coady to their squad, this will mean that they have healthy competition for a starting birth at centre-back, with the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Joe Rodon and Eric Dier already at the club – Toby Alderweireld looks set to seal a summer exit to Qatar.

Alongside providing competition, Spurs lost 12 league games last season, leaking 45 goals in the process, something which Nuno will want to put right this season, in hope that the club can break back into the top four and play Champions League football in the 2022-2023 campaign.

Glasgow Celtic are considering a move to bring Kervin Arriaga to Celtic Park this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Honduran media outlet Diez (via the Daily Record), who claim that the former Celtic defender Emilio Izaguirre has revealed the Hoops are monitoring the defensive midfielder ahead of a potential move in the summer transfer window.

It is reported that Izaguirre himself recommended the 23-year-old to Dominic McKay and the Bhoys hierarchy, who agreed to send their scouts to watch the Honduras U23 international in action.

In the article, Izaguirre explains exactly why he believes Arriaga could play at a much higher standard than he is currently, stating: “He is tall, wins well above, has a punch and can play three or four positions: central, containment, mixed and midfielder. He is a complete player. He can be an elite in Europe and play in the Champions League.”

Arriaga could be Brown’s heir

With Scott Brown having left Celtic to return to Aberdeen at the end of last season, Ange Postecoglou could well be in the market for a tough-tackling destroyer this summer, a description that would very much appear to fit Arriaga.

Indeed, over his 24 appearances for CD Marathon in the Liga Nacional de Futbol Profesional de Honduras last season, the 23-year-old picked up a whopping 11 yellow cards – very nearly double the amount Brown received in the league last term.

And, while this is not particularly a statistic to be proud of, one thing it certainly does indicate is how stuck in the midfielder gets, fight that Celtic desperately lacked in their Scottish Premiership campaign last time out.

However, it would seem as if Arriaga is far from just a brute in the middle of the park, with his return of nine league goals from defensive midfield over the past two seasons backing up Izaguirre’s claim that the 23-year-old is a “complete” midfielder.

Indeed, footage of the player’s goals for Marathon clearly demonstrate that Arriaga is also an extremely capable free-kick taker, as well as appearing to have a trademark long-range drive finish.

As such, while the Honduran league is not exactly one of the more reputable competitions in world football, it would certainly appear as if Ange Postecoglou and McKay should heed Izaguirre’s advice regarding the midfielder, as he could well prove to be the perfect man to fill Brown’s role in the middle of the park for the Bhoys.

In other news: Celtic could sign 30-goal gem once tipped to become “world-class”, he’s a big upgrade

Fabrizio Romano believes an ‘agreement now close’ for Celtic to sign Tottenham goalkeeper Joe Hart.

The Lowdown: Hart links

Romano was the first to share the Hoops’ interest in the 34-year-old goalkeeper.

He suggested that Celtic opened talks over a move for the 75-cap England international on Wednesday.

Journalist Ekrem Konur added that the Scottish giants don’t want to pay for the ‘keeper, presumably hoping Spurs will allow Hart to depart for nothing in order to clear his wages off the books.

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The Latest: Romano’s post

Romano, who has tweeted several Celtic-related transfer posts during the current window, including on Carl Starfelt, shared an update on the situation with Hart on Thursday afternoon.

The transfer expert said that negotiations are ‘progressing’ before adding that ‘agreement now close’ – a significant three-word update.

Romano stated that Spurs are open to letting go of Hart after signing Pierluigi Gollini on loan.

The Verdict: Deal to be announced soon?

Romano’s two updates were just 30 hours apart, so it seems as if the Hoops have made pretty swift progress on a potential swoop for Hart.

Should that trend progress, a transfer may well go through relatively quickly. You’d expect any fee for Hart would be able to be agreed on as Spurs are open to getting his wages off the books in north London.

Hart may then move north and immediately take the number one spot, with Ange Postecoglou already using two goalkeepers in his two competitive games in charge at Celtic Park in Vasilis Barkas and Scott Bain.

In other news: ‘Celtic are finally closing in’ – Devlin’s transfer post on ace with ‘excellent final ball’.