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Manchester United are interested in a potential £34m deal for Chelsea defender David Luiz, according to the Daily Star.

What’s the story?

The 30-year-old’s future at Stamford Bridge recently became a talking point after he was dropped by manager Antonio Conte.

The Italian opted to select Andreas Christensen ahead of Luiz for the recent 1-0 victory over the Red Devils.

The Daily Star reports that United could swoop in if Conte decides to sell, but the Blues will demand at least £34m, which is what they paid Paris Saint-Germain to re-sign him last year.

The report adds that Luiz is unhappy at the moment, particularly as he did not receive any backing from the club’s hierarchy after he was dropped.

What should Chelsea do?

Diego Costa’s fiery exit from the West London outfit in the summer indicates that Conte is prepared to cut loose when he deems necessary.

The fact that the striker scored 25 goals in the Premier League last season was not enough to keep him at the Bridge.

Rumours are rumbling that the manager’s relationship with Luiz is fractured, and if so, it could be the end of the road as far as the defender’s Chelsea career is concerned.

Selling to United, though, would be a bad option for the club, particularly after allowing Nemanja Matic to move to Old Trafford in the summer.

Even though Luiz can be inconsistent on the pitch, there is a chance he could strengthen Jose Mourinho’s side, which is the last thing that Chelsea need.

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Aston Villa missed the chance to close on the Championship automatic promotion places as they played out a goalless draw with Millwall at Villa Park on Saturday, and Villa fans weren’t impressed with Josh Onomah’s performance.

Steve Bruce’s men came into the clash against the Lions in fine form having taken 10 points from the last 12 available in the league, but they put in a below-par display against their London opponents and had goalkeeper Sam Johnstone to thank for helping them pick up a point.

Tottenham Hotspur loanee Onomah once again started in the No 10 role behind Keinan Davis, but he struggled to make an impact in the final third across the 90 minutes.

Aston Villa supporters were quick to have their say on the 20-year-old’s display via social media, and while one said he has a “poor attitude”, another said “Onomah isn’t good enough for this league”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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Aston Villa fans would have been worried when John Terry was struck down with an injury last month.

The defender, who moved to the Midlands outfit from Chelsea in the summer, was a regular in Steve Bruce’s side.

Terry started 16 Championship games before suffering a broken metatarsal in a 2-1 defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on November 4.

Since then, the 36-year-old has been working on recovery, but is not expected to play again until the New Year.

This week, The Express claimed that Terry has been continuing his rehabilitation at Chelsea’s Cobham training complex.

The former England captain uploaded a video to Instagram of himself  jogging on a treadmill.

The clip was shared by Villa’s media team, which sparked a number of comments from the club’s supporters.

Despite Terry being absent, the team have managed to go on a four-game unbeaten run consisting of three wins and one draw.

As it stands, Villa are fifth in the table, seven points adrift of the automatic promotion spots.

According to a report from The Sun, Manchester United are having difficulty offloading versatile star Daley Blind this summer. The 28-year-old was on the peripheries of the Red Devils first team for much of last season in making just 17 appearances for Jose Mourinho’s men, but their struggles in getting rid of the Dutchman this summer should be of interest to new Everton manager Marco Silva.

And that’s because, with the Toffees clearly in need of reinforcements in many areas of the pitch, they could pull off a summer masterstroke by landing the £16.2 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt). 

The Breakdown

Ultimately, last season was something of a disappointment for our resident Evertonians in the Tavern following the optimism of the summer, in which their club spent in excess of £100 million, but eventually dropped a place to eighth in the Premier League table.

And many areas of the squad were clearly lacking in the sufficient depth and quality, despite the huge investment, to take the Merseysiders forward and into the top six places last term, which is why wiser additions this summer are required for Silva to make a big impact.

And that is why a move for Blind is particularly significant, as the Netherlands international is adept at playing in areas of the Everton squad that are in need of strengthening.

Left back Leighton Baines is entering the twilight of his career at the age of 33; the likes of Ashley Williams, Phil Jagielka, and to a lesser extent Michael Keane, struggled at centre back last term; and the centre of midfield proved to be a problem area for both Ronald Koeman and Sam Allardyce – all of which are positions Blind can play adeptly in.

Is this the best World Cup ever? Give us your thoughts here

Throughout his stint at United, the 28-year-old has often filled in where required, usually to good effect, and while he wouldn’t necessarily join Everton and immediately improve their first team, there is no doubt that he would improve their squad depth in several positions.

And with many areas of the Everton squad lacking in that depth, making a move for the former Ajax star makes complete sense – in fact, it could turn out to be a summer masterstroke if they do indeed seal a deal for the 28-year-old.

Everton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

The Arsenal fans in the Transfer Tavern have been pleased by Unai Emery’s activity in the transfer market so far, but recent reports from the Daily Mirror suggest that he has an ideal opportunity to conclude his smartest deal since taking over at the club.

The Breakdown

According to the Daily Mirror, both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are in the race to sign Jack Grealish this summer from Aston Villa – a club who are deep in the midst of a troubling financial crisis. Although the Villains were hoping to raise around £40 million from the sale of Grealish, Tony Xia has been forced to slash his asking price in half to just £20 million in a drastic effort to balance the books.

There is no mention that Arsenal are currently interested in his services, but on the evidence of his development in the past 12 months they would be foolish not to challenge their Premier League rivals for his signature.

Following a difficult couple of seasons for Grealish in which he struggled to reach the level of performance that many expected of him, the 22-year-old returned from a freak kidney injury with a point to prove last season.

Cutting a more physically imposing figure on his return, Grealish played a starring role in Villa’s promotion challenge with his silky performances in midfield where he constantly posed a threat with his direct dribbling and willingness to take risks in the final-third.

After threatening to fade into obscurity it seems that Grealish has turned a significant corner in his development and is now well-placed to develop into the player many have predicted him to become.

With the potential to grow into a future England international and a top class performer in the top-flight, £20 million would eventually represent an absolute bargain price for Grealish if Emery is wise enough to pull off a transfer.

Although Grealish is a number ten by trade, he possesses the versatility to slot into a role on either the left or right-wing and his quality in this regard would hold him in good stead to thrive at Arsenal.

The Emery revolution is well underway and his activity in the transfer window thus far has given the Arsenal supporters genuine reason to feel optimistic ahead of the new season, but concluding a deal for Grealish would represent his most impressive summer deal to date.

Arsenal fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

According to a report from The Sun, Stoke City are hopeful of luring Liverpool’s Sheyi Ojo to the bet365 Stadium as part of the Xherdan Shaqiri deal. Switzerland international Shaqiri has been repeatedly linked with a move away from the Potters ever since their relegation from the Premier League was confirmed back in May, what with the 26-year-old producing arguably his best season in English football last time round.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds are reportedly the front runners for his signature, but were Gary Rowett’s Stoke to get £2.25 million-rated Liverpool sensation Ojo (as per Transfermarkt) as part of the deal, it would represent great business by the Championship club.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, while Stoke fans would obviously hope that their side could retain many of their prized assets, it was always likely and frankly inevitable that Shaqiri would leave the club this summer.

The winger netted eight goals and laid on seven assists to give the Staffordshire-based team a fighting chance of staying up last season, thus underlining his Premier League qualities which were never likely to be wasted in the Championship.

And for a reported £13.5 million, as per the Swiss’ release clause, Stoke were always likely to struggle keeping hold of the winger, which is why getting something more than just money out of the deal can only be good news to manager Rowett.

And were they to land the hugely talented Ojo as part of the deal, it would represent excellent business by the Potters.

The 21-year-old may have only mustered 13 senior appearances for Liverpool during his career, but he has done well on loan at Wolves and Fulham in recent years, netting three times and laying on four assists for the former back in the 2016/17 campaign, before scoring four goals and setting up two for Slavisa Jokanovic’s Cottagers last time round.

Thus, the England Under-21 international has certainly proven his worth in the second tier in the last few seasons to suggest that he could be a huge asset to Rowett and his promotion-chasing Stoke squad this season, as they seek an immediate return to the Premier League.

And with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp unlikely to be able to offer him first team football at Anfield, another loan stint in the fiercely competitive Championship can only be a good thing for Ojo’s development.

As such, while Stoke fans are likely to be disappointed at losing Shaqiri, it was inevitable, so to get something out of the deal in Ojo would represent great business by the second tier outfit.

Stoke fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Queens Park Rangers revealed on Thursday that Darnell Furlong would miss the start of the 2018-19 Championship campaign with a knee problem.The defender suffered a torn knee ligament during Saturday’s 1-0 friendly win over AFC Wimbledon, and is now facing three months on the sidelines.Furlong has already undergone surgery on the injury, but will not be fit to return to the field until the latter stages of 2018.The 22-year-old also missed three months of last term with a knee problem, and the news is a bitter blow for the R’s at this stage of their preparations.[brid autoplay=”true” video=”271323″ player=”12034″ title=”Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus on Football Manager”]Indeed, 5f 11in ace Furlong impressed for the club last term, and had been tipped to enjoy a strong season for the club.QPR will open their Championship campaign against Preston North End on August 4, but face Hoffenheim and Union Berlin in friendlies before that match.A selection of the Twitter reaction from the club’s supporters can be seen below:

Richarlison is seemingly on the verge of joining Everton from Watford.

The 21-year-old only moved to the Premier League last summer, and ended the 2017-18 campaign with five goals and five assists in 38 league games for the Hornets.

Manchester United were linked with a move for the attacker earlier this summer, but Everton have reportedly won the race.

There have been a number of figures branded about in the last few hours, but Bleacher Report have placed the transfer figure ‘in excess’ of £40m.

Richarlison – valued at £22.5m by Transfermarkt – was excellent in the early stages of last season, but it would be fair to say that the attacker’s form dipped in the final few months.

The Everton fans have been reacting to the transfer reports on social media, and it would be fair to say that they have differing views.

There are plenty who feel that Richarlison will be a success at Goodison Park, but there are also those who have questioned the move.

A selection of the mixed Twitter reaction can be seen below:

West Ham have so far gone from strength to strength in the transfer window, having recruited seven top players who can all improve the current team vastly. 

Fans were more than annoyed about the lack of spending over the previous transfer windows and now finally the owners have supported new boss Manuel Pellegrini with the tools he needs to have in order to succeed with the Hammers. The Chilean has recently said himself that the club will continue to improve the squad until the very last day of the window and a player that could be of interest to them is Bristol City’s left-back Joe Bryan, who is valued at £4.5 million on Transfermarkt.

Although Pellegrini has both Aaron Cresswell and Arthur Masuaku in his disposal in that same position, Bryan offers more in both attack and defence due to his pace and desire to help support attacks and then get back and perform his defensive duties.

Last season was no different as Bryan was yet again one of Bristol City’s best players, having played in 43 Championship games, Bryan scored 5 goals and set up a further three. For years he has continued to shine for The Robins and it was only a matter of time before Premier League clubs took up an interest in the Englishman, which they have done this window.

At 24-years-old, Bryan has his best years in football yet to come and due to his continuously strong performances on the left-hand side, West Ham should assess that Arthur Masuaku would be better as an out-and-out winger, leading Bryan to provide competition for Aaron Cresswell in the defensive position.

Would Bryan be a good signing for West Ham… Let us know!

Everton recovered from a poor start to last season to finish 8th, Marco Silva will be plotting a huge improvement this season.

The Toffees made a number of high-profile signings last summer but struggled to their optimism in the transfer window translate into the success they expected on the pitch. Perhaps with the exception of England number one Jordan Pickford, the signings didn’t work out in the way Everton had hoped. The Toffees have already cut their losses on certain players, with Dutchman Davy Klaassen signing for Werder Bremen this summer after an injury-ravaged season in England.

This summer Everton have again shown they are not afraid to spend, with Brazilian forward Richarlison signing from Watford a deal worth an initial £35m.

One area that Marco Silva needs to improve, though, is his defence as Everton were all too often a weak touch at the back last season, but they could also do with adding some additional creativity going forward.

With that in mind, here are three players Everton could still sign this before the transfer window slams shut…

Everton have a history of buying exciting wingers from Crystal Palace, recently purchasing Yannick Bolasie from the Eagles.

And now the The Toffees have shown an interest in Palace’s Zaha this summer..

Splashing the cash on the Ivorian may well be worth it, too. He is the talisman at Crystal Palace, with plenty of assists, and he has a new-found knack for goal scoring.

If Everton are willing to stump up the £70m the Eagles want for the player, there is still a chance this deal could get done before the transfer window closes.

According MARCA, Everton are interested in bringing out-of-favour Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater to Goodison Park on a season-long loan.

The midfielder was signed for a fee of £35m from Leicester City as recently as September 2017, but it just hasn’t worked out for him at Stamford Bridge.

The player played a crucial role in Leicester City’s Premier League win, and showed his capability for long-range passing.

With the arrival of Jorginho at Chelsea, the English midfielder has fallen even further down the Stamford Bridge pecking order. This deal may well get done before the window shuts.

Everton want to sign Marcos Rojo, but the defender’s wage demands are holding a deal back, according to the Telegraph.

Everton certainly need a new centre-back. The 28-year-old Argentina international defender is out of favour at Old Trafford and would certainly strengthen the Toffee’s defence.

If Everton stump up his £120,000-a-week wage demands, they could secure his signature before the end of the window.