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Jon Newsome believes that Norwich City target Angus Gunn needs to play regularly if he is moving to the Canaries this summer.

Gunn has been heavily linked with a return to the Canaries after his loan spell at the club in 2017/18.

The Athletic reports that the Southampton goalkeeper is on the verge of a return to Norwich, in a deal that the Saints hope will eventually cost £7m.

Norwich will pay an initial fee of £2.5m and strengthen their ranks in goal, with Gunn set to compete with Tim Krul for the No.1 jersey.

Newsome, though, believes that he needs to play regularly if he is to be a success with the Canaries.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, the former Canaries star said: “Whether he’ll go in there to fight for the No.1 jersey remains to be seen. I would have thought he’s had a bit of a stop-start season with Stoke, he wasn’t a regular all the way through the season, so I think at the age that he is, the most important thing for Angus Gunn at this moment in time would be to play regular football.

“Does Norwich City offer him that? I’m not too sure it does.”

Gunn made a total of 51 appearances for Norwich during his loan spell and spent last season on loan at Stoke City, though he played just 15 times in the Championship throughout 2020/21.

Liverpool have been linked with an audacious move for France and Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe this summer.

The Lowdown: Mbappe on the move?

The 23-year-old is undoubtedly one of the world’s best players at the moment, continuing to wreak havoc for PSG and registering 36 goal contributions (22 goals and 14 assists) in 29 Ligue 1 starts this season.

Mbappe’s future continues to be one of football’s biggest talking points, with a summer move to Real Madrid widely mooted while his contract ticks down towards its expiry in the summer.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for the Frenchman in the past and now a surprise rumour has emerged.

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The Latest: Liverpool back in the hunt

According to Get French Football News on Twitter, the Reds now look like possible front-runners to sign Mbappe this summer:

“His new suitor is likely to be Liverpool.”

PSG and France midfielder Jérôme Rothen has apparently been given new information that a different club has entered the race and may have a ‘new factor’, with Liverpool named as the mystery club due to the player’s personal appreciation for Jurgen Klopp.

The Verdict: Only if Salah leaves?

While the idea of seeing Mbappe in a Liverpool shirt is beyond mouthwatering, it is almost impossible to see a move happening this summer – unless one thing happens.

The wages that he would demand would surely be deemed too astronomical by FSG, while the the current options at Klopp’s disposal are already great.

The only way a move could seem possible is if Mohamed Salah leaves the club, perhaps to PSG, with Mbappe heading the other way. FSG would surely be more willing to pay the big wages Salah wants to a much younger player called ‘the best player in European football’ and ‘unstoppable’ by Carlo Ancelotti.

In other news, a journalist has dropped a key Liverpool contract claim. Read more here.

Aston Villa have suffered a major blow ahead of their Premier League clash against Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, with Dean Smith confirming that the game has come too soon for Jack Grealish.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against the Red Devils, the Villa manager said: “It will be 12 games that he misses. He’s out on the grass loading the injury, so he’s on his way back, but this game will be too soon for him.

“He starts training with the actual group tomorrow. As I’ve said many times, we want him back as soon as possible, but we’ve got to do it right as well. We obviously had a spike in his loading last time and we had a reaction, so we have to make sure that we’re very conservative with our approach this time with it.”

The news comes as a major blow for Villa as the Premier League enters the closing stages of the season, with the Midlanders having understandably struggled in the absence of their talisman. In the 11 league games that Grealish has missed, Villa have won just three and scored only 12 goals in the process, putting a major dent in their hopes of securing a surprise European spot for next season.

With Manchester United flying high both domestically and in Europe – they clinched their place in the Europa League final on Thursday – Smith will have been hoping for some good news on Grealish to try and give his side a much-needed boost before the match.

It is a sign of his importance to their attack that his tally of 19 goal contributions (seven goals, 12 assists) is the joint-highest in the Villa squad alongside top scorer Ollie Watkins, per Transfermarkt.

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Instead, Villa will have to try and stop Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side without the 25-year-old, and that’s a tall order given how poorly they’ve performed without him.

Last week’s win over Everton at Goodison Park will give them hope, but Smith will no doubt be disappointed at missing his key player once again.

Meanwhile, Villa must land this £60m-rated star this summer…

Donny van de Beek is undergoing a medical at Everton ahead of his loan move from Manchester United, Sky Sports News have revealed.

The lowdown

It emerged on Sunday that Van de Beek had opted to join The Toffees for the remainder of the 2021/22 season.

Crystal Palace were also interested in the Dutchman, but he’ll instead take up the opportunity to work under Frank Lampard on Merseyside.

Everton have agreed to foot the entirety of his £120,000-per-week salary for the duration of the loan period.

The £22.5million-rated midfielder has only played 380 minutes in all competitions this season and is yet to start a Premier League game.

The latest

Referring to Sky Sports’ ‘State of Play’ transfer tacker, presenter Tom White said Van de Beek’s move was now a step closer to completion.

“Everton are close to signing him on loan after agreeing a deal with Manchester United,” he said.

“It [the transfer tacker] says ‘in talks’. In the last few seconds, that has changed because [he’s having a] medical now.

“That has just come into us in the last few seconds, a fresh update to us.”

The verdict

Completing the signing of Van de Beek would make it a very solid January for Everton.

They’ve found a long-term successor for Seamus Coleman in the form of Nathan Patterson, and also moved quickly to replace Lucas Digne with the signing of another youngster, Vitaliy Mykolenko.

Anwar El-Ghazi, on loan from Aston Villa, adds depth to the squad, and Van de Beek, billed ‘close to perfect’ by BT Sport’s Owen Hargreaves, should inject real quality.

In other news, fans were buzzing over this news on a defender. 

Queens Park Rangers midfielder George Thomas is attracting a significant amount of interest this summer.

What’s the talk?

In a recent interview with West London Sport, Mark Warburton revealed that he has turned down a number of approaches for the 24-year-old in the summer transfer window, with clubs thought to have been looking to secure the services of the Wales international on a season-long loan deal.

However, the 58-year-old manager appears adamant that Thomas will not be leaving the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium, suggesting that the attacking midfielder is very much part of his plans for the Rs 2020/21 Championship campaign – despite appearing to be behind both Ilias Chair and Chris Willock in the attacking midfield pecking order.

Warburton said: “He had a lot of involvement towards the end of last season and if you look at how we play, in terms of Chris and Ilias, George is right there with them – at Middlesbrough we played all three of them.

“He provides energy, quality and he’s got that lovely ability to run beyond defenders as well. I’ve had a lot of enquiries; will we let George out on loan? Absolutely not. He’s got a big role to play for us this season.”

Fans will be buzzing

While it is true that Thomas has not featured all that much since moving to west London from Leicester City last summer, having made just 18 appearances for QPR last season – only five of which came as starts – the fact that Warburton appears eager to keep the 24-year-old at the club this season should have fans buzzing.

Indeed, despite averaging just 28 minutes on the pitch in each of his 17 Championship appearances last term, the £540k-rated man nevertheless provided one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an averaging of 0.4 key passes and taking 0.6 shots per match.

Furthermore, while Chair and Willock may well be two players more likely to start in the QPR XI, with someone as talented as Thomas breathing down their necks, it will only help improve the performances of the duo, as they will be well aware that if they find themselves in a run of poor form, they will be displaced by the former Leicester man.

As such, the news that Thomas will not be leaving this club would appear to be fantastic news for all involved, as his mere presence will help raise the standards of all of QPR’s attacking midfielders this season.

It also gives the Rs fanbase something to be very excited about, as he’s very capable of doing damage from the bench, too.

In other news: Warburton drops claim on “excellent” QPR gem which will be music to the ears of fans

After all the drama of surviving on the final day of the Premier League season last year, things are a lot more calmer and relaxed at Aston Villa this time around as they welcome Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.

Dean Smith’s side have enjoyed a superb second season back in the top-flight, pulling off some big wins over the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and even Spurs just in mid-week.

With nothing really left to play for, Smith may opt to make a couple of changes to his starting line-up, although he will no doubt be mindful that some of his brightest young academy talents also have the opportunity to win the FA Youth Cup on Monday when they take on Liverpool.

And, with that in mind, below is a look at how Villa might line up when Chelsea come to town.

In goal, Emi Martinez will be looking to finish off the Premier League season with a clean sheet, with the Argentine’s displays in front of goal this year proving why he has been one of the signings of the season, bar none.

The back-line should remain unchanged, with Ezri Konsa continuing at right-back in the absence of Matty Cash, and a centre-back duo of Tyrone Mings and Kortney Hause.

The midfield could see one key change, with Douglas Luiz coming in for Marvelous Nakamba, while Jacob Ramsey’s return to the line-up in place of Anwar El Ghazi could see Jack Grealish revert back to his place on the left.

And while Carney Chukwuemeka will be hoping to start, Smith may be reluctant to use him and instead keep him fresh for Monday’s FA Youth Cup final game.

Instead, the 19-year-old Jaden Philogene-Bidace may get the chance to make his full debut and a quick run-out with the first-team, with Bertrand Traore dropping to the bench.

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And up front, Wesley will surely be pushing the Villa boss to finally make his first start of the season after a number of cameos from off the bench to get him back up to speed following his knee injury.

Predicted XI: Martinez; Konsa, Hause, Mings, Targett; McGinn, Luiz; Philogene-Bidace, Ramsey, Grealish; Wesley.

Meanwhile, Villa MUST start this man vs Chelsea today…

‘Big bids’ could arrive for Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips after the European Championships, Kevin Phillips has told Football Insider.

The lowdown

Phillips has started all four of England’s games at the tournament so far, helping Gareth Southgate’s side reached the quarterfinals.

On his major tournament debut against Croatia in the group stages, he assisted Raheem Sterling’s winning goal.

He also shone in the Round of 16 victory over Germany, recording 11 ball recoveries – the most by an England player in a Euros match since Tony Adams (13) in 1996 (via Opta).

Phillips, who has three years left on the contract he penned back in 2019, is valued at £27million by Transfermarkt.

The latest

The former Premier League Golden Boot winner warned Leeds that they could have a ‘battle’ on their hands, with clubs surely impressed by Phillips’ performances.

“As much as Leeds fans won’t want to hear this, brace yourselves for a couple of big bids after the Euros,” he said.

“He’s been fantastic and I thought he was outstanding against Germany.

“Leeds will face a battle to keep him if some of the big clubs come in for him”

The verdict

Leeds fans should indeed be worried, because Phillips ticks the boxes for a side like Manchester United, who are in need of a high-calibre signing in the middle of the park.

He’s defensively solid – with 2.6 tackles and 1.6 interceptions per game last season – and also has a magnificent passing range, as demonstrated by 4.7 accurate long balls per 90 (via WhoScored).

And, importantly for the top sides, he’s also building his experience on the biggest stages.

You’d expect Leeds to do absolutely everything in their power to keep him, but it certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if bids start flying in when he returns from England duty.

In other news, Leeds have taken a significant step towards a midfield signing.

Celtic have been handed a major injury boost regarding the return of James Forrest.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a claim made by Alison Conroy, with the journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that Ange Postecoglou expects the midfielder to return to first-team training at the beginning of the forthcoming week, having been sidelined since August due to injury.

In her tweet, Conroy said: “The manager is hopeful James Forrest can return to full first-team training from Monday.”

Celtic fans will be delighted

While Forrest has been somewhat plagued with injury over the last couple of seasons, having made a grand total of just 15 Scottish Premiership appearances since the start of 2020/21, the 30-year-old’s return to first-team action will nevertheless have Celtic fans delighted.

Indeed, the £5.4m-rated man has proven in previous campaigns that he has the ability to be an extremely important part of the Celtic squad, with the 30-year-old scoring 17 goals and registering ten assists over 58 appearances in 2017/18, bagging 18 goals and providing 20 assists over 56 appearances in 2018/19, and scoring 16 goals and registering a whopping 22 assists over 47 games in 2019/20.

The Scotland international has also shown flashes of this form in the current campaign, making one key pass and providing an assist during a 25-minute cameo in the Bhoys’ 6-0 demolition of Dundee, as well as scoring and registering one assist in a 4-2 win over FK Jablonec in Europa League qualifying.

As such, should the man who Neil Lennon dubbed a “priceless” talent be able to continue this level of attacking output upon his return from injury, he will undoubtedly become a very useful player within Postecoglou’s Celtic squad, and could even prove to be the final piece of the 56-year-old’s attacking puzzle.

Indeed, with the likes of Jota, Kyogo Furuhashi and Georgios Giakoumakis already beginning to fire in the Celtic frontline, the further addition of the £15k-per-week Forrest would only appear to strengthen the Hoops’ chances of reclaiming their Scottish Premiership crown this season.

In other news: Celtic enter into negotiations with “excellent” £5.5k-p/w beast, fans will be buzzing

Former Leeds United player David Norris believes a switch to Elland Road for Wolves winger Adama Traore would be a “great move”, and wouldn’t be surprised if talks were already ongoing, as he told Football FanCast exclusively.

The 25-year-old pacy winger, was recently with the Spain national team at Euro 2020 but now returning to club football his attentions will turn to where he will be playing his football for the upcoming campaign.

90min reported earlier this week that Leeds were hoping to entice Traore to Yorkshire this summer, the second time they have shown interest in the Spanish international.

With this in mind, Norris told FFC exclusively: “I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s stuff going on now in the background, knowing that obviously he is going and with the links with Leeds previously with the coaching and with him. He’ll probably want a decent move as well and Leeds would be a great move for him.”

Leeds’ Director of Football Victor Orta has history with Traore, as he took him to Middlesborough from Aston Villa back in 2016.

After two years with Middlesbrough, Traore swapped the Riverside Stadium for Wolves in 2018, and with just two years left on his current contract, Wolves could decide to cash in on him this summer.

Three Tottenham Hotspur players are set to be fined by the club for going away on international duty after the red list countries agreement was put into place, according to Alasdair Gold for football.london.

The Lowdown: Premier League agreement

Towards the end of August, it was announced that Premier League clubs would refuse to release players who play for red list countries during the current international break.

It was thought that the agreement would impact between 50 and 60 players. The agreement was put into place amid the concerns of players’ risk to injury or being forced in a hotel for 10 days, whilst there were also concerns over the suitability of food available to players when quarantining in hotels.

Any players who went on international duty would be banned from playing for their clubs for the international window, which is until September 9 plus another five days, duly excluding them from next weekend’s games.

The Latest: Spurs fuming with trio

According to Gold for football.london, Argentina internationals Cristian Romero and Giovani Lo Celso are due to be fined when they return to Tottenham, with club bosses reportedly angry with the pair for travelling in the first place.

Davinson Sanchez is also set to be fined for his decision to go against club wishes, with the Colombia defender playing in both 1-1 draws with Bolivia and Paraguay in the World Cup qualifying stage in recent fays.

Gold said that there is confusion over the return of Romero and Lo Celso, especially after Sunday evening’s dramatic events between Argentina and Brazil, where ANVISA claimed that four Premier League players had entered the latter country without declaring that they had arrived from the UK.

The Verdict: Troubling situation

With Premier League clubs’ decision to not release players for international matches, the players who didn’t follow their employer’s demands can justifiably face punishment.

The drama in the Brazil and Argentina contest could spread further concerns regarding future international breaks, the next of which comes in October.

For Spurs, who are now set to be without three players for their London derby with Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime due to quarantine, manager Nuno Espirito Santo won’t be happy with the conduct of the trio, who will hopefully learn from their reckless actions.

In other news, Fabio Paratici has been full of praise for ‘most talented in Europe’ starlet. Find out more here.