As reported by The Telegraph, Tottenham Hotspur are facing a fight to hold on to one of their top performers this season; Kyle Walker.

What’s the story?

Walker has been a huge part of Spurs’ success this season, often a key attacking outlet on the right hand flank, as well as offering significant defensive stability.

That form has attracted the attention of Manchester City, according to The Telegraph, who say that City are confident of landing their man this summer.

The Citizens believe that Mauricio Pochettino may be tempted to cash in on the right-back and despite Daniel Levy’s preference to sell him abroad, are ready to offer Walker a significant increase on his current wage at White Hart Lane, say the paper.

Is it the right time to sell the defender?

Too good to leave

With 36 appearances for Pochettino’s side this season, it’s clear Walker is a massive part of the current set-up at Spurs and we reckon in order to continue their progress, they need to keep the vast majority of the current XI intact. Spurs should be looking to add to the existing spine of the team, not take away from it.

There’s the theory that you should maximise your assets and reinvest but in Walker they have a player at his peak who you’d fancy to have another storming season next year.

Pochettino will need a deep squad next season if his side are to compete in the league and in Europe and holding on to the likes of the England international will be key.

Even if they do sell, doing so to one of their rivals in the Premier League would be a silly move. He’s too good to have him help out the likes of Manchester City.

“Why on earth did we buy them?” will be the words that ring out of Manchester United fan’s mouths when they look back at some of the players they’ve bought in the past, and perhaps the present.

The glory days of the class of ’92, the trophy-clad years of the late 2000’s. Both were memorable eras in the United timeline, but while those periods will be remembered best for the likes of David Beckham, Roy Keane and Ryan Giggs, there will be some less-than-memorable names amongst them.

Just as any club in the Premier League, some signings are just unfortunately destined not to work out, and with a club the size of Manchester United and the spending power they have, their ability to hand pick players from almost anywhere in the world makes them all the more susceptible to such failures.

Amongst those who have been part of that un-glorified group of United players that never made the bar are Bebe, the Portuguese starlet who appeared to have lied about his credentials on his CV; Massimo Taibi, the keeper who simply didn’t know the distance between his body and his hands and even big Belgian Marouane Fellaini, the much lamented midfielder part of the current crop under Jose Mourinho.

Who do you think has been the worst United signing however? Have your say in the poll below…

According to reports in The Sun, West Ham United are one of a number of Premier League clubs lining up a move for £20m-rated Leeds United striker Chris Wood this summer.

Irons manager Slaven Bilic is keen to bring in a new attacker this summer with continuing injury issues for Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho, and he has identified the impressive Championship star as a potential signing.

The New Zealand international enjoyed a spectacular personal season in England’s second tier, but he could choose to make the step up to the top flight after Garry Monk’s men narrowly missed out on a place in the play-off positions despite spending the majority of the campaign in the top six.

It won’t be a straightforward deal though with the Yorkshire outfit not keen to lose their best player and with Southampton, Stoke City and Swansea City also interested in the 25-year-old, but he would certainly be a good addition.

Here are three reasons the Hammers must win the race to sign Wood…

Goals

With the absence of Carroll and Sakho at various stages of the season – and for the latter the majority of it – West Ham have somewhat struggled for goals.

Winger Michail Antonio – who was often deployed at right-back earlier in the campaign – is their top scorer with nine goals and the Irons have netted just 45 in total in 37 Premier League games.

Having scored 30 in 48 appearances in all competitions for Leeds this season, Wood could be the answer to the Irons’ woes.

Style of play

Some of West Ham’s most effective football seems to come when Carroll is on the pitch, but whether that is a good thing for supporters is another matter.

However, standing at 6’3” tall and having shown he is able to play and make a huge impact on his own up top – this would suit Bilic as he likes to play either a 4-2-3-1 or 3-4-3 formation – Wood’s hold up play and ability to link up with his teammates could mean he is the ideal addition for the Irons this summer.

Age and potential

At 25 years of age, Wood is entering his prime and that can only be a good thing for West Ham as they look to improve while keeping the average age of their side down.

The New Zealand international still has the potential to improve as well and if he can prove to be as effective in the Premier League as he has been in the Championship this season, there is no doubt that he could prove to be a bargain buy for the Irons.

Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.

According to reports in Portuguese publication A Bola, La Liga side Villarreal are closing in on the €14m (approximately £12.2m) signing of Newcastle United and Southampton target Ruben Semedo from Sporting Lisbon.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Premier League duo are both looking to strengthen their central defensive options this summer and they had both been linked with a move for the 23-year-old.

However, it appears as though the in demand Portuguese player is set to move to Spain rather than England, which will come as a blow to the Magpies and the Saints.

Why did they want him?

Well, despite receiving two red cards this season and often finding himself on the substitutes’ bench in the closing stages of the campaign, the tall defender has all of the attributes to be a success in the Premier League.

He is strong in the air, has a good reading of the game and is comfortable on the ball and bringing it out of defence – shown by his 90% passing accuracy for Sporting in Primeira Liga this term.

Even though he is understood to have had a release clause of €45m (approximately £39.1m) the duo also would have been interested as soon as they realised they could buy him this summer for less than a third of that total.

Who could they turn to?

With strong interest in Eibar’s Florian Lejeune it looks as though Toon boss Rafa Benitez could be looking for two new centre-backs this summer, and he could turn his attentions to Manchester City’s Eliaquim Mangala, or perhaps even Hull City’s Harry Maguire.

Meanwhile, Southampton may wait to see on the outcome of the Virgil van Dijk saga before they commit to buying a new centre-back, as the need for one wouldn’t be as urgent if the Dutchman is to stay at St Mary’s.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, while the news may come as a blow the Premier League duo don’t have time to feel sorry for themselves and must quickly move on to their next target in order to strengthen their respective squads as soon as possible.

As reported by The Daily Mail, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s contract situation at the Emirates is reaching crisis point and clubs like Liverpool are actively monitoring developments.

Despite making 45 appearances for the Gunners last season in all competitions, it appears the Gunners don’t see Oxlade-Chamberlain’s contract renewal as a priority this summer.

Given his talent and potential, he is just 23 years of age after all, you’d expect Arsenal to have wrapped up any doubt about his future at the Emirates.

Liverpool are looking for more depth in their attacking options and Oxlade-Chamberlain also has the kind of versatility that could make him a very attractive option to Jurgen Klopp.

Fans of the Reds seem mixed on reports that Klopp is showing interest in him, some believing he doesn’t contribute enough goals or assists to be a hit at Anfield.

On the other hand some reckon he could fit in at Liverpool perfectly.

Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts on it all…

According to reports in the Sunday Express, Liverpool have been told that they must pay £70m if they want to sign Southampton captain Virgil van Dijk this summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Jurgen Klopp made the Saints centre-back one of his priority summer transfer targets and even though they believed they were closing in on a deal for the 25-year-old earlier this month, the club was forced to issue a statement of their official website apologising after the south coast outfit had reported the club to the Premier League and accused them of tapping the defender up.

However, the Sunday Express reports that the German hasn’t given up on bringing Van Dijk – who is keen on the move – to Anfield, although Southampton are refusing to budge on their £70m valuation of the player who has five years remaining on his contract at St Mary’s.

Also attracting interest from Chelsea and Manchester City according to the report in the Sunday Express, the Van Dijk saga seems to be far from over.

Why are Liverpool so keen to sign him?

Klopp wants to strengthen his squad and sign a commanding centre-half who is comfortable bringing the ball out from the back and in possession, and those are attributes that Van Dijk has shown he has on a consistent basis for Southampton.

Brilliant in the air – he won 96 aerial duels in 21 Premier League fixtures last term – the 25-year-old has established himself as one of the best in the English top flight just two years after signing for Southampton from Celtic.

Would they be willing to pay £70m?

It’s difficult to say but if they really want him, then they know what they have to do and the Reds certainly seem to be willing to splash the cash this summer.

Would Southampton really sell to Liverpool?

You can never-say-never, but it seems unlikely.

While the player may want the move, Saints are in the strong position of having a player who has five years remaining on his contract and they would prefer to keep him – or sell him to Chelsea or Manchester City instead if their valuation is met – rather than to the Reds.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, while Liverpool have been quoted £70m  it remains to be seen whether Southampton would be willing to do business even if they met the asking price, and it will be interesting to see how things develop in the coming weeks.

According to BleacherReport, Swansea City are holding out for £40million from Everton for star midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson.

The 50-cap Iceland international was one of the stars of his country’s fairytale Euro 2016 campaign and carried that momentum into the 16/17 Premier League season.

The set-piece specialist turns 28 in September and is currently valued at £21.25m by transfermarkt. Sigurdsson was the star man in Swansea’s successful battle against relegation, scoring nine league goals while finding his teammates for 13 more. He played in every league game for the Swans and didn’t miss a minute after matchday four, showing how absolutely vital he was to their survival.

Paul Clement surely doesn’t want to lose Sigurdsson, whose contract runs until the summer of 2020, but if he must the former Chelsea assistant will be sure to get a pretty penny for him.

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Everton have shown a willingness to spend this summer as they attempt to propel the club into the Champions League and adding Sigurdsson would be a key move towards that goal, particularly with current star midfielder Ross Barkley being linked with a move away from Goodison Park.

Paying £40m is probably a little high for a 28-year old, but if he can help Everton get to the Champions League his price probably won’t matter very much. What do you think Toffees fans? Is his worth breaking you transfer record?

Let us know by voting below…

According to reports in The Independent, Chelsea have been told that they must pay more than £30m if they want to sign Swansea City striker Fernando Llorente this summer.

Blues boss Antonio Conte is looking to bring in a back-up centre-forward after completing a deal for Alvaro Morata on Friday, and The Independent say he is keen on the Spaniard having also worked with him during his time managing Juventus.

However, the report adds that the Welsh side want more than £30m for the 32-year-old despite the fact that he has just a year remaining on his contract, after he proved to be influential in them escaping the drop last season by scoring 15 goals in 33 Premier League appearances.

Chelsea supporters were quick to have their say on the rumour via social media, and the majority were not impressed with the price tag on the 6’5” striker’s head, with some even saying that he isn’t even worth £10m.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Manchester United have surely improved from last season but last night’s European Super Cup with Real Madrid showed how far away they still are from Europe’s top sides. Los Blancos claimed a 2-1 win without ever coming close to top gear in a display that highlighted the Red Devils’ limitations both defensively and offensively.

There were some positives to take from the night in Skopje, however. Romelu Lukaku scored his first competitive goal for the Red Devils, Nemanja Matic looked solid in the middle of the park and after entering the fray from the bench at half-time, boy wonder Marcus Rashford went some way to bringing Jose Mourinho’s side back into the game.

Despite clocking just 45 minutes, Rashford finished up with the joint-most shots, successful dribbles, fouls won and attempted crosses of any United player, one of which resulted in an attempt at goal from one of the 19-year-old’s team-mates. He also came incredibly close to getting on the scoresheet himself after being released one-on-one with Keylor Navas, but the Real Madrid goalkeeper produced a smart, low save with his flailing foot.

That leaves Mourinho facing a similar headache to last season, namely whether he can actually reap the full benefits of the England international’s prodigious ability if he’s in the same side as a superstar striker of the Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic ilk. The Portuguese has just spent a staggering sum on the Belgian, so it seems unlikely he’ll be dropped for a player who didn’t cost the club a penny any time soon – regardless of how flawed that logic may seem.

But once again last night, the attacking midfield hub appeared to be United’s weakest department – which explains why Mourinho was so open about his interest in Gareth Bale before kickoff. Rashford’s positivity and pace could address that deficiency for the time being, but it probably won’t be enough to clinch United this season’s title.

According to reports in The Sun on Sunday, Newcastle United have been told that they must pay £20m if they want to sign Arsenal striker Lucas Perez.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Sun on Sunday says that despite the fact that Arsenal bought the Spaniard for £17m last summer and he struggled for game time throughout the previous campaign, they are looking to make a profit on the 28-year-old.

The Sun on Sunday says that Magpies manager Rafa Benitez was keen to sign Perez on a permanent deal, but he will now target a loan for the attacker after being priced out of the move.

The report adds that Newcastle’s fellow newly-promoted Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion are also keen on the forward, while his former club Deportivo La Coruna also want to bring him back to La Liga.

How did Perez do last season?

Despite struggling to break into the Arsenal first-team ahead of the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Olivier Giroud and Danny Welbeck, Perez did score seven goals and provide a further five assists in 21 appearances in all competitions.

While he only netted one goal in 11 Premier League outings, the 28-year-old was particularly impressive when he was given more of an opportunity in the domestic cups and Champions League, and he netted six times with all of his five assists coming in 10 appearances in those competitions.

Would he be a good signing for Newcastle?

He certainly would be.

While he hasn’t really been given an opportunity by Wenger, the Spaniard showed glimpses of brilliance when he was on the pitch such as his impressive finish against Bournemouth in the Premier League and his hat-trick against Basel in the Champions League.

The 28-year-old came to England following a hugely successful campaign with Deportivo La Coruna and he has shown he knows where the net is – he would certainly provide some much-needed competition for the likes of Dwight Gayle and Aleksandar Mitrovic in attack.

Perez is also a versatile performer as he can play on either wing or as a secondary striker as well as being an out-and-out centre-forward.

Will Arsenal compromise on their asking price?

It’s difficult to say but after missing out on the squad against Leicester on Friday, they will have to reduce the fee if they want to sell him permanently – as it appears they want to do.