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Liam Kennedy has dropped an inside claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

Writing in his latest piece for The Shields Gazette, the football journalist has claimed that the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) have given their word to the consortium that they will return to the process of taking over at the St. James’ Park faithful once a path to the deal with Mike Ashley is cleared.

PIF are currently not at the table as they felt as if the process was taking far too long, as the Premier League eventually decided to fail the bid.

Kennedy has also claimed that there is understood to be other confidential financial guarantees between all of the parties involved in the deal.

However, as he points out, reports have been emerging from Italy that PIF may turn their attentions elsewhere if a pathway is not cleared sooner rather than later, with Inter Milan said to be a club that is up for sale and one that they would be interested in.

Newcastle takeover hopes lie on PIF

PIF would need to come back onto the table to keep any hopes of reviving the original deal with Ashley alive.

However, with the news emerging of their interest in Inter, the Tyneside club will be hoping that the takeover process can be sped up as soon as possible. If the Magpies get relegated, it’s hard to imagine the rich investors choosing Tyneside over Milan.

In other news, find out what worrying claim Luke Edwards has dropped on the potential takeover here!

Manchester United have been dealt a significant injury blow ahead of their UEFA Europa League meeting with AC Milan after Marcus Rashford, who was pretty much ruled out of the game, now also set to miss this weekend’s key clash against West Ham United.

The forward sustained what looked like a serious ankle knock in the 2-0 win against Manchester City after tracking back.

He was eventually withdrawn from the action and despite it being previously suggested that Rashford had managed to dodge a long-term problem, Solskjaer has confirmed he is unlikely to be ready for the meeting with West Ham too.

He said:

“Even though normally I’m a very optimistic guy, I still think he’s going to be out [of the Milan game] and a doubt for the weekend.”

His absence is, of course, going to be felt hard by the Red Devils.

The £72m-rated forward has of course been in exhilarating form for United this season. Currently, in the middle of his most productive campaign to date, he has netted on 18 occasions, whilst also providing a further 12 assists.

Only Bruno Fernandes has contributed more than Rashford throughout the 2020/21 campaign.

The 23-year-old is also going to be sorely missed considering that he has been one of the most reliable players at Old Trafford this season. Having made 43 appearances, he has appeared in every single match in all competitions for the Red Devils.

That is even more damaging considering that there seems to be a real lack of replacements at the club. Fellow forward Edinson Cavani remains ruled out through injury, whilst Mason Greenwood has only managed four goals in all competitions – a far cry from Rashford’s output.

Solskjaer who admittedly is usually “optimistic” about his players’ returns has even admitted that Rashford is unlikely to be fit for the West Ham game. Considering not only the Milan match but also the big clash in terms of the top four race with the Hammers, the United boss will surely be gutted to have one of his key players missing during such a crucial week.

AND in more news, read why the Red Devils could be proven wrong as Diogo Dalot returns to Old Trafford with AC Milan…

Former Southampton striker Kevin Phillips has exclusively told Football FanCast that he expects Danny Ings to leave the club this summer.

Ings’ Saints contract expires next summer, and was the subject of interest from Tottenham in January, although the England man ended up staying at St Mary’s, despite Southampton running the risk of losing him for free in 2022.

The 28-year-old has been in terrific goalscoring form since joining from Liverpool – with only Leicester’s Jamie Vardy (23) netting more than his 22 Premier League goals last season.

Ings has managed just nine goals in all competitions this term, however, following a number of separate knee and muscle injuries that have kept him on the sidelines.

His latest setback came during the early stages of Saints’ win at Sheffield United last weekend, which is expected to see him miss another four weeks of action.

Phillips was asked his verdict on whether he sees Ings leaving Southampton, and he told Football FanCast:

“Yes I can, as much as Southampton fans won’t thank me for it. I think himself he even came out at one point and said he wants to play Champions League football, so that suggests to me he would like to move on and try at this stage of his career.

“So I possibly could see him moving on. It’s just a case of, he is a little bit injury prone. We have seen what he can do, I’m not doubting that. I think he’s a fantastic striker, scores great goals, good movement, but he is a little bit injury prone, so I think who would take him who would finish in the Champions League spot?

“But I do think that he’ll probably be angling for a move come the summer.”

Aston Villa and West Ham United have been linked with a move for Inter Milan midfielder Matias Vecino in recent months.

Both clubs reportedly made offers for the 29-year-old prior to the New Year, however, the Uruguay international remained with the Italian giants past the recent winter deadline.

A report from the reliable Calciomercato has now claimed that Inter have placed Vecino on the transfer market ahead of the summer window.

Any side wanting to secure Vecino’s services will have to pay at least £6.8m – a relatively low price considering he holds a £10.8m Transfermarkt valuation and is under contract until 2022.

Transfer Tavern take

At £6.8m, a deal for Vecino could prove to be a shrewd piece of business. He’s capable of playing as a defensive or an attacking midfielder, however, his primary position is a central midfielder.

Vecino, capped 41 times by Uruguay, reportedly picks up £80,000-a-week with the Serie A giants.

Jack Grealish is the only permanent Villa player who earns more than £80,000-a-week in the Midlands, and you’d expect Vecino would want a similar pay packet to the one he’s currently picking up abroad.

Only time will tell if Villa will reignite their interest with a summer bid, but with Vecino in the shop window with a reduced tag, that could appeal to Dean Smith, despite Morgan Sanson’s arrival back in January.

In other news: Purslow keen to complete club-record deal for 27 y/o this summer, find out more here. 

Writing for The Daily Star, journalist Rhys Daly has suggested four stars Tottenham Hotspur could possibly sign to replace Gareth Bale this summer after the Welshman’s comments over his future – with Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho arguably standing out among his candidates.

Coutinho suggested for Spurs

Coutinho, who was linked with a move to Tottenham last summer as Barcelona reportedly offered Daniel Levy a chance to sign him on loan (Football Insider), has now been suggested as a potential replacement for Bale as the La Liga giants appear eager to offload.

Indeed, the Catalan giants are said to be ‘actively seeking’ a new club for the 28-year-old, with journalist Daly touting him as a potential replacement for Bale after his admission.

The Welsh winger openly stated his plan, as it stands, to return to parent club Real Madrid upon the expiry of his loan deal – and chairman Levy could be looking for replacements in the summer should that happen.

Transfer Tavern take

As a result, Daly has touted Coutinho as an option for Spurs, coming despite his reported £200,000-per-week wages.

Lauded as a ‘creative genius’ in 2020 by Sky Sports pundit Phil Thompson (via Goal), regardless of his lack of game time, Coutinho displayed some of his best form whilst on loan at Bayern Munich last season.

Time will tell whether he emerges as an option, but Barca are allegedly desperate to offload, prompting him to be suggested as a potential Spurs replacement for Bale.

In other news: Robinson was left thrilled by this ‘great news for Spurs’, find out more here.

Gary Mabbutt has exclusively told Football FanCast that he believes Tottenham’s season could still be a successful one.

Despite losing the north London derby to Arsenal and then crashing out of the Europa League following an embarrassing exit to Dinamo Zagreb three days later, Jose Mourinho’s team are just three points off the Champions League places and have a Carabao Cup final against Manchester City next month.

That three-point gap from fourth-placed Chelsea came courtesy of a comfortable win over Aston Villa on Sunday, which ended a wretched week for Tottenham on a high.

Following those two poor results, Mourinho has come under some serious flack, although it might still turn out to be an excellent season for his team – with Spurs just 90 minutes away from ending their 13-year wait for trophy.

And Mabbutt, who won tasted FA Cup and UEFA Cup glory during his playing days at White Hart Lane, is optimistic about the remainder of the campaign.

He told Football FanCast:

“In the league we have won four out of our last five games, that’s a pretty good run. Yes, it was disappointing going out to Zagreb in the Europa League, but we are sixth in the table. Everyone seems to be throwing away points left right and centre, it’s a bizarre situation. 

“But there is an opportunity there for us to finish the season in a top-four place, and of course we are in the Carabao Cup final.

“So at the end of the season after the setbacks we have had, suddenly the team and the manager could come out with silverware in the trophy cabinet and a top-four finish, which is still more than possible.”

It’s such a strange situation for Tottenham present. Whilst it currently appears all doom and gloom following the Zagreb result, finishing in the top-four and winning a trophy would represent their best season for many a year.

There were high hopes when Southampton signed Angus Gunn from Manchester City in 2018, but the shot-stopper has seen his market value fall off a cliff in the past three years, which suggests that his arrival was yet another example of the south coast club massively overspending.

Gunn joined the Saints from City in a £13.5m deal in the summer of 2018 and was expected to challenge Alex McCarthy and Fraser Forster for the number one spot, but he has managed just 30 appearances for Southampton thus far, in which he has conceded 52 goals and kept only eight clean sheets.

With Forster returning from a season-long loan at Celtic ahead of this season, Gunn was allowed to join Stoke City on loan for the campaign in the Championship, where he has made 14 appearances, conceding 18 goals and keeping six clean sheets.

In a recent report by The Athletic journalist Dan Sheldon, it was suggested that the 25-year-old is likely to join the Potters on loan again next season unless Southampton receive a bid similar to the one they paid for the shot-stopper in 2018, in which case they would be willing to sell.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/southampton-saints-ralph-hasenhuttl-martin-semmens-st-marys” title=”Latest Southampton news, transfer rumours and more”]

However, it seems unlikely that the south coast club would be able to receive anywhere near the £13.5m they paid for him, given that Transfermarkt currently values the 25-year-old at just £2.7m.

Given that Gunn was valued at just £1.8m by Transfermarkt after a loan spell with Norwich City, it seems clear that former sporting director Ross Wilson massively overpaid for the goalkeeper in 2018.

Unfortunately for both Gunn and Southampton, his value has only declined during his time on the South Coast, and it is difficult to ever see him making it as a regular in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

Therefore, in a similar vein to a worrying amount of Wilson signings, the Saints may have to cash in on the ‘keeper for a serious loss in the near future, or they risk having to keep paying his reported £33k per week wage until his contract expires in 2023.

In other news… Southampton could find their next Kelvin Davis in £3.6m-rated beast

A number of Wolves fans have been reacting the crushing news of Jonny Otto suffering a second anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side endured another disappointing night at the office on Monday, losing 3-2 to high-flying West Ham.

Wolves found themselves 3-0 down in the first half, and while a spirited comeback saw them save what could have been an embarrassment, it was still a poor result at Molineux.

It leaves them sitting 14th in the Premier League table, with very little to play for between now and the end of the season.

There was horrible news that broke earlier in the day, however, with the Express & Star‘s Joe Edwards revealing Jonny has suffered a second ACL injury, news now confirmed by the club.

It means the 27-year-old faces another long spell on the sidelines, having only returned from his other serious setback in February.

It is a cruel blow for a popular Wolves player and the main hope now is that he can battle through this long recovery and return the same footballer of old.

Wolves fans bemoan Jonny injury

These Wolves supporters took to Twitter to react to the news, with many left heartbroken for Jonny.

“Nooo”

Credit: @GianSG11

“Career over”

Credit: @NeilPugh10

“That’s really disappointing, has made a huge difference back in the team, may need to start planning for life without Jonny moving forward”

Credit: @Ry4nH07

“Unbelievable season for injuries. Poor Jonny.”

Credit: @daturk74

“Awful news, awful season. Best wishes Jonny”

Credit: @metalliam

“Unusual to rupture the same ACL after reconstruction. Wish him the best of luck”

Credit: @Stuart16913042

“Get well soon Johnny….so disappointing..Gutted for him”

Credit: @RobDew8

In other news, a Wolves legend believes the club missed out on signing a world-class player – find out who it is here.

Fabian Schar says that he hopes to feature for Newcastle in the final games of the season after issuing a positive update on his recovery.

The 29-year-old was expected to be out for ‘several months’ after sustaining a torn knee ligament in the 3-2 win over Southampton in February (via nufc.co.uk).

A Sky Sports report at the time speculated that he’d played his last game for the club given that the Swiss international is out of contract at the end of the season.

However, it seems his recovery may have exceeded expectations – Schar initially aimed to return in time for the European Championships in June, but now hopes he can have a say in keeping Newcastle up.

Schar: ‘I will do everything’ to return before the end of the season

“I’m quite happy where I am after seven weeks since my surgery,” he said in a Q&A on Newcastle’s Twitter account.

“The last five or six weeks I was working hard in Switzerland. The only aim I had was to do as many hours for the rehab as possible.

“I think I am on the right way. Still there is a bit to do and it’s going to be tight for some games this season.

“It’s my aim to help the team at the end of the season and I will do everything to try and do that but I can’t exactly say if it is possible or not.”

Schar has made 13 Premier League appearances for the Toon this season. He has averaged 1.6 tackles, 3.1 clearances, 0.8 blocks and 3.6 accurate long balls per match (via WhoScored).

Transfer Tavern verdict

The injury outlook is finally getting brighter for Newcastle. Miguel Almiron returned at Brighton, and Allan Saint-Maximin made his comeback off the bench in the draw with Tottenham at the weekend.

Most importantly, top scorer Callum Wilson looks to be back in contention for a critical visit to Burnley on Sunday.

Schar’s return can’t come soon enough, given that Steve Bruce had to deploy Emil Krafth and Paul Dummett, full-backs by trade, in a back three at the weekend.

In other news, Alan Shearer picked out an ‘excellent’ Newcastle performer against Spurs. 

Celtic defender Jack Hendry has confirmed that KV Oostende are trying to activate their clause to make his loan move in Belgium permanent over the summer, dropping an eight-word admission over the deal.

The 25-year-old has impressed in the Jupiler Pro League this season, making 25 appearances in total.

He’s been the club’s fourth-best performer, as per WhoScored, scoring twice and providing one assist.

Hendry confirms exit talks

Celtic and Oostende agreed on an option to make Hendry’s loan permanent at the end of the season, with the fee thought to be set at £1.75m.

Talking to the media, reported by the Daily Record, the Scot addressed his Celtic future.

“I still have a year left on my contract at Celtic but Oostende have first option on me.

“They are trying to activate that just now.”

Transfer Tavern take

Celtic signed Hendry for £1.44m back in 2018 from Dundee, so it seems as if they’ll make just £310,000 profit on the defender this summer.

Reports last month suggested that Hendry is attracting Premier League interest, which could result in Oostende selling for around £5m, resulting in a £3.25m profit.

It’s not ideal news, but Celtic only have themselves to blame after agreeing to a very low option-to-buy clause.

In other news: Celtic source shares club’s Eddie Howe concern, find out more here.