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Liverpool have so far this season managed to score more goals in the Premier League than any other team with 22 in their opening eight games of the season as well as 11 goals in their opening three Champions League group games.

Despite this impressive start to the season in front of goal, it appears as though Jurgen Klopp’s side could well be looking to add another attacking option to his squad in January.

What’s the latest?

It has recently been reported by Florence-based newspaper La Nazione (via Sport Witness) that Liverpool and fellow Premier League club Manchester City have an advantage over other clubs in Europe to potentially sign Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic in the upcoming January transfer window.

That’s because they are financially capable of securing the striker in the winter for a fee rather than having to wait until the summer.

Added firepower

Vlahovic joined Fiorentina back in the 2018 summer transfer window from FK Partizan Belgrade. Since then, the 21-year-old, who is currently valued at £45m according to Transfermarkt, has made a total of 93 appearances for the Italian club across all competitions.

For the Italian side, he has managed to score 35 goals and provide five assists, proving why a number of clubs are after his signature.

So far this season, the striker, who has been labelled as “incredible” by Conor Clancy, the editor in chief at Forza Italian Football, has managed to score six goals in nine appearances across all competitions.

With that in mind, we feel that a potential link-up with Reds winger Mohamed Salah, who has 12 goals in 11 appearances so far this season, could be a very exciting prospect for the Liverpool fans. The Egyptian has been mesmerising this term and combining him with Vlahovic would only add to the club’s already impressive attacking force, making a potential January move worth exploring for FSG.

Also, taking into account Vlahovic’s young age and the age of current Liverpool centre-forward Roberto Firmino (30) we feel that the Serbian could be a good replacement for the Brazilian and take the spot as Liverpool’s long-term first-choice striker if he did join in the coming months.

In other news: 3 key passes PG: Liverpool could have a perfect Henderson heir in “confident” 18 y/o – opinion

A big Newcastle United update has emerged on Brentford striker Ivan Toney… 

What’s the talk?

According to 90min, the Magpies are one of the teams showing an interest in signing the English centre-forward at the end of the season.

The report claims that it would cost a sizeable fee of around £50m to prise him away from the London club, with Arsenal, Everton and West Ham also keen on him.

Meanwhile, a Football Insider source suggests an asking price of £30m has been slapped on his shoulders with Newcastle keeping tabs.

Imagine him & Allan Saint-Maximin

By signing the Bees frontman this summer, Eddie Howe can seal a dream duo by pairing him with French attacker Saint-Maximin.

Toney has shown, this season, that he can thrive as part of a two-pronged attack as he has built an exciting relationship with Bryan Mbuemo. The Brentford pair have 16 goals and 11 assists in the Premier League between them and this shows that they have been superb together in the top flight.

Since making the jump up from the Championship, the Englishman has taken to the division like a duck to water – earning plenty of plaudits along the way.

Bees boss Thomas Frank has been effusive in his praise of the goal machine. He said:

“Ivan is very intelligent, because he’s reflecting, and he deserves a lot of praise himself for also coming into a well-run club and listening to all the small bits and adding extra layers to his development and performance.

“If you want to be a top player you need to work hard, constantly reflect and want to learn and then of course you need to have that confidence that he’s got so naturally.He’s coming across so fantastically: he’s humble, calm, but with a mindset of a lion.”

His statistics back up the acclaim as he has produced 12 goals and four assists in 27 league starts, averaging a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.33. He has been able to regularly provide quality on the pitch and still has room to improve at the age of 26, which is why he can be a fantastic signing for the Magpies.

Now, imagine him lining up alongside Saint-Maximin in black and white. The French winger has five goals and three assists in the Premier League and has created 1.4 chances per game. This suggests that he can supply Toney with the opportunities he needs to find the back of the net, whilst Toney’s assists suggest he can also put the ex-Nice man into positions to score for himself. Simply mouthwatering.

AND in other news, Howe can unearth his own Ginola in Newcastle’s rarely-seen 19 y/o “bright talent”…

Liverpool are back in Premier League action this afternoon with an away clash against Wolves at Molineux in their latest push for the Premier League title. 

After seeing off their Merseyside rivals in midweek with a 4-1 victory over Everton, Jurgen Klopp’s side are in third place in the league table with 31 points, one behind Manchester City and two behind Chelsea heading into this weekend’s fixtures. 

On the chalkboard

In terms of which players Klopp could choose to be in his starting XI to take on Bruno Lage’s side, one player that didn’t play against Everton that should be in the mix this afternoon is defender Ibrahima Konate, who Klopp has previously said has “massive potential.”

Given how the Everton game was only on Wednesday, perhaps this could be an area where Klopp could look to rotate his players and kill two birds with one stone by resting Matip, who played in midweek, and giving Konate some minutes under his belt. 

Standing at 6ft 4in tall, Konate has kept three clean sheets in the four league games he’s played in so far this season, showing that he is more than capable of playing at a high level in the top flight. 

One of those clean sheets came during Liverpool’s 5-0 thrashing of Manchester United at Old Trafford where Konate managed to keep Cristiano Ronaldo, who recently hit the 800 career goals mark, quiet for the day, showing that the Frenchman can battle it out against dangerous attacking opponents.

This performance against the Red Devils led to Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders calling Konate a “beast.”

Overall, Konate has managed to rack up an average of 4.8 clearances per game, two interceptions per game and 1.5 tackles per game, as well as winning 69% of duels, which could make him a terrifying opponent for Wolves on this occasion.

Looking ahead to the Wolves match, this could be a great test for the £70k-a-week earning Konate to play against some of Wolves’ attacking players such as Raul Jimenez, Adama Traore and Hwang Hee-chan as the Old Gold will presumably be on the attack given how they’ve only managed to pick up two 0-0 draws in their two previous games.

In other news: Big relief: Klopp given major LFC boost as transfer claim emerges, fans surely buzzing – opinion

Everton have been absolutely plagued with injuries in the first half of the season, with Rafael Benitez having to put together makeshift teams with key players missing for large chunks of the Premier League campaign so far.

As a result, it has left the Toffees 15th in the table after 17 games, but the impending return of one very influential player could change everything for the Merseyside club.

What’s the word?

Having last played at the end of August due to a toe injury, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been teasing his return for a few weeks and injury expert Ben Dinnery has now claimed that, following his analysis, the 24-year-old is back available. He told Football Insider: “There is a big difference between being available and being fit. He is certainly available for selection.”

However, Dinnery also added a word of caution for the Everton manager regarding the usage of the striker, saying: “He has been out for the past four months now. To throw him into that highly pressurised environment is a very, very risky situation.”

The England international had sent a video message to a fan just before Christmas and made the claim of a potential of a return to the team on Boxing Day. However, with further Premier League fixture postponement, Everton are yet to play since 16 December, but it could be a blessing in disguise in terms of allowing Calvert-Lewin further time to recover fully from his injury.

Fans will be buzzing

Some Everton fans have made no secret about their excitement for Calvert-Lewin’s return, with plenty taking to social media when news travelled on his imminent return.

The club’s official Twitter account posted pictures of training this afternoon and there were numerous replies expressing glee over the sight of the 24-year-old, who it seems is closing in on a comeback to action.

There is no doubt that Benitez will be thrilled and relieved with the return of the prolific striker, as his side really need to start picking up points. Their last 13 league games have yielded just two wins, with last season’s 21-goal top scorer being sorely missed in that time, not least as he had carried over his fine form into the early weeks of the current campaign prior to his injury.

What better way to kick off the New Year than the potential return of Calvert-Lewin, especially if it accompanies a win against Brighton at Goodison Park on Sunday. With the Seagulls being the last team he faced (and scored against), a goalscoring return to the fold this weekend would seem quite fitting.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano confirms Toffees’ interest in this La Liga maestro

Taking to Twitter, Foot Mercato journalist Sebastien Denis has broken some West Ham United transfer news involving RC Strasbourg striker Ludovic Ajorque.

The Lowdown: West Ham in striker hunt…

In perhaps the worst-kept secret of the January transfer window, Irons manager David Moyes and new transfer chief Rob Newman have their eyes firmly placed on bringing in a new striker alongside other additions.

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There have been plenty of names linked with a move to east London, including Flamengo’s Gabriel Barbosa and Blackburn’s Ben Brereton-Diaz, with Moyes and Newman seemingly looking under every rock.

The latter has been tasked with assisting West Ham in the transfer market after leaving his role of chief scout at Manchester City, coming with a big reputation from his time at Eastlands (The Athletic).

As of yet, the head of recruitment has been unsuccessful in clinching any West Ham deals, but he has now set his sights on a new target.

The Latest: Newman eyeing Ajorque…

According to French journalist Denis, West Ham and by extension Newman have set their sights on Strasbourg’s in-form talisman Ajorque amid their drawn-out search for centre-forward options.

The journalist explained on Twitter: “Looking for a 9 for many months, West Ham is interested in Ludovic Ajorque, the Strasbourg serial scorer, current 2nd top scorer in L1 with 10 goals.”

The Verdict: Get it done?

Reliable West Ham insider ExWHUemployee recently claimed that the Irons were looking for talent in Ligue 1, with the French top flight potentially becoming a solution for Newman (West Ham Way).

It is therefore no surprise to see another name from France linked with a move to West Ham, but going by his numbers, Ajorque could be a shrewd option.

Alongside his impressive strike rate this season, the 27-year-old has notched an impressive total of 79 senior career goals and is an imposing threat going forward.

Compared to West Ham’s current squad, the towering 6 foot 5 striker has averaged a colossal 3.7 aerial duels won per 90 over 17 league starts – far more than any Irons player this season (WhoScored).

An aerial threat and proven in front of goal, it’s little wonder the Hammers and Newman now hold an interest in Ajorque.

In other news: West Ham source: Newman also moves to sign ‘devastating’ forward after price plummets by £32m, find out more here.

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Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has confirmed during his Crystal Palace pre-match press conference, via Sky Sports, that Charlie Austin could leave the club before the end of the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Hasenhuttl told reporters on Monday, as quoted by Sky Sports:

“Sometimes you get to a point when you as a club can’t give a player what he expects us to give him so in this situation we are trying to find a win-win situation for both sides.

“I think he has played two times from the beginning since I have been here. He is a fantastic striker who can score for every team. He is 100 per cent professional, he shows the team that if we need him he is here.

“But like every player he wants to start from the beginning and if there is not the option here in Southampton then maybe he will be looking for another club where he has this option.

“Then we have to talk about these things. We don’t send any player away but if there is a different option for him it can be he is an option for another club.”

Austin joined Southampton from Queens Park Rangers in January 2016.

The centre-forward has managed 20 goals in 72 appearances in all competitions for the Saints, as per Transfermarkt, but has netted just two Premier League goals this season.

Hasenhuttl has admitted that he will be unable to give Austin the football that he wants in the second half of the season, which could lead to an exit.

The 29-year-old has actually only started two Premier League matches since Hasenhuttl replaced Mark Hughes as head coach at the start of December.

Should Southampton fight to keep him?

Austin’s Premier League record is 34 goals in 97 appearances, suggesting that the striker certainly knows how to find the back of the net at the top level.

Southampton recorded a 2-1 win over Everton in the Premier League last time out, but the Saints are far from safe in the top flight.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

Austin – valued at £9m by Transfermarkt – will only have 12 months left on his Southampton contract this summer and a move at the end of the 2018-19 campaign makes sense for all involved.

For now, the Saints, who face Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Wednesday night, must fight to keep hold of a player who is certainly capable of coming off the bench and scoring some vital goals before the end of the season.

That said, Austin is understandably desperate to secure regular football at this stage of his career and a move away this month is looking increasingly likely.

Everton are reportedly among a number of clubs who want to sign Christian Eriksen on a free transfer in the summer.

The Lowdown: Eriksen’s deal expiring

The 30-year-old’s six-month deal at Brentford expires in the summer, so he will be able to talk to other clubs about signing as a free agent.

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The Denmark international has made a return to the pitch after suffering a cardiac arrest while playing for his country at Euro 2020, so caution was taken by the Bees over the length of contract given to him during the January transfer window.

The Latest: Eriksen wanted by Everton

Co-writing in his latest piece for 90min, transfer insider Graeme Bailey has revealed that Everton are just one of the clubs ‘looking’ into offering Eriksen a contract this summer, along with Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Fulham.

The Dane’s former club Tottenham Hotspur are also ‘interested’ in his signature, and there is interest from abroad too, but the 30-year-old would prefer to remain in England.

The Verdict: No-brainer

Assuring that the Merseyside club can stay in the Premier League, signing Eriksen for free is surely a no-brainer.

Described as a ‘magician’ by Spurs insider John Wenham earlier this season, and recently hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by his manager Thomas Frank, the playmaker has already reminded the Premier League what he is capable of by scoring one goal and supplying one assist in his five Brentford appearances so far, including netting in the recent 4-1 demolition of Chelsea at Stamford Bridge (Transfermarkt).

Currently rated at £13.5m, and not thought to be wanting six-figure wages, landing Eriksen on a free transfer would be a real bargain, and the Toffees would do well to beat off the fierce competition for his services.

In other news, find out what ‘significant’ update has now emerged from Goodison Park

Rangers made it ten goals scored in two Premiership matches as they beat Ross County 4-2 at Ibrox Sunday afternoon.

They thrashed Motherwell 6-1 last weekend, with Fashion Sakala scoring a hat-trick, although a 1-1 draw with Brondby in the Europa League was sandwiched in between.

Ryan Kent scored a sensational long-distance goal to mark his return, with Joe Aribo, Juninho Bacuna and an own goal from Alex Lacovitti securing the points for the Gers.

Kent made his first start for the club since the 19th of September and dazzled with his stunning strike. He picked the ball up on the left flank and cut inside before unleashing a dipping, powerful, shot past the County goalkeeper, to put Rangers 2-1 up at the time and made Ibrox bounce.

The real star of the show, however, was summer signing Juninho Bacuna as he ran the game from central midfield and was pivotal to the result.

Defensively, he put a shift in for Gerrard’s side. Per SofaScore, he won seven individual duels in the match, whilst also making three tackles. He won six of his 11 ground battles and one of two in the air, and was not dribbled past a single time in the game. This shows that he was reliable defensively and did not allow himself to be a liability in the middle of the park.

On the ball, he was exceptional. He scored his first goal for the club as he picked up possession from Joe Aribo and cut inside onto his right foot to fire a strike into the roof of the net from the edge of the box, whilst he was also credited with the assist for Kent’s wonder goal. The midfielder also completed 86% of his passes as he had a whopping 86 touches of the ball and won three fouls for the team, to show off the overall level of his performance in possession.

Therefore, the £17k-per-week dynamo was the real star of the show for the Gers, as Kent did not create a single chance and only won two duels. Gerrard will surely be delighted by his balanced display in midfield as he was able to merge defensive nous with creativity and quality on the ball in the final third. Hopefully, he will now be able to show it on a consistent basis and prove to be a shrewd signing by Ross Wilson.

AND in other news, Kent 2.0: Gerrard could unearth new wing wizard in “exciting” 18 y/o Rangers flyer…

Celtic signing Reo Hatate has now landed in the UK and is set to be unveiled as a Hoops player soon, Kieran Devlin reports.

The Lowdown: Triple signing

Ange Postecoglou and Michael Nicholson have made early inroads into the club’s January business, with moves for Hatate, Yosuke Ideguchi and Daizen Maeda already tied up.

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Midfielders Hatate and Ideguchi have penned four-and-a-half-year contracts at Parkhead, whereas forward Maeda has joined on an initial loan deal with a compulsory purchase option included for the summer.

Both Maeda and Ideguchi have already been unveiled as Celtic players, and it seems as if Hatate will do the same shortly.

The Latest: Devlin’s claim

Devlin shared a post on The Athletic on Wednesday, saying: ‘understand Hatate has landed in the UK and is set to be unveiled as a Celtic player over the next few days’.

The 24-year-old, along with Maeda, has been removed from Japan’s squad for their Kirin Challenge match against Uzbekistan, with the squad made up of domestic players only.

The Verdict: Good news…

With all three now in the country and Hatate soon to be unveiled, it can only be viewed as good news ahead of Celtic’s return to action following the winter break.

The Hoops face Hibernian in 11 days, so having the Japanese trio all at Lennoxtown and involved with the squad could mean they may all have a chance to feature at Parkhead on Monday, January 17.

That will be a welcome boost for Postecoglou, who had a number of players sidelined prior to the winter break against St Johnstone through injury and Covid-19.

In other news: Celtic may now sign £4.5m-rated man on loan; would ‘separate’ Nicholson from Lawwell. 

Liverpool will take on Porto at Anfield this evening, and the side is expected to rest players due to an early qualification to the last sixteen thanks to going unbeaten in Europe this season so far.

The reds have taken maximum points from their first four games in their group, currently seven points ahead of their opponents on Wednesday evening.

Klopp has hinted in his press conference that he will be resting players in the fixture that has no effect on the side’s qualification in the tournament whether they win, lose or draw.

The German coach told the press;

“We always respect the competition but we have to think about ourselves, our schedule and the situation of our players first.”

With Liverpool’s injury crisis in mind – they are missing Curtis Jones and Naby Keita – there is one player that has been a hot favourite with fans for a start tonight in the European fixture. At just 19 years old, Tyler Morton is predicted to make his Champions League debut for the side ahead of the likes of Thiago and Fabinho.

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Hailing him as “brilliant”, Klopp heaped praise on the teenager a few weeks ago and talked about getting him ready for first-team football;

“You can see Tyler Morton, I told him now we pretty much have to send him directly to the gym now. Because if he gets a body, he’s a brilliant footballer.

“There’s obviously some things to come physique-wise, but the football brain is outstanding.”

Morton is no stranger to the first team this season, putting in a confident performance against Norwich in the Carabao Cup when he came on in the second half, and more recently made his Premier League debut, when he was subbed on for Thiago Alcantara in the final six minutes of the game against Arsenal in which the side ran away with a 4-0 win.

The youngster is set to get his first opportunity in the starting line up against Porto tonight and will be hoping to prove to Klopp that he made the right choice in introducing him into the first team, which he can achieve with a measured display

Liverpool will be hoping to remain unbeaten in Europe with a win over Porto tonight, where the Portuguese side will be hoping to steal a win at Anfield to widen the gap in second place holding back AC Milan and Atletico Madrid from qualification.

In other news: Liverpool predicted Champions League XI vs Porto