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West Ham United are believed to have made a move to sign Flamengo midfielder, Lazaro, although face competition for the youngster’s signature.

What’s the word?

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Hammers have seen an initial £6m offer rejected for the promising Brazilian, although are expected to continue discussions in the coming days.

The transfer guru wrote on Twitter that: West Ham approaches Flamengo for offensive midfielder Lázaro. £6m bid opening proposal has been rejected, Flamengo want more than this as @thalesoares reported. Negotiations will continue as many clubs are keen on signing Lázaro.”

The former Brazil U17 international – whose existing deal runs until 2025 – has previously been linked with a move to Scottish Premiership side Rangers earlier this summer.

Lanzini heir

Having already completed six major deals so far this summer – with a move for Emerson Palmieri also in the works – it would appear that manager David Moyes is keen on even further incomings before the September deadline, with Lazaro seemingly one name on his transfer shortlist.

The 20-year-old prospect is only in the early stages of his senior career, although has already racked up a mightily impressive haul of eight goals and eight assists for his current side in just 56 games across all fronts.

A “quality offensive allrounder”, as described by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, the £6.3m-rated ace has notably netted four goals and provided two assists in just 19 league games so far this season, proving himself a real creative asset for the Rio de Janeiro-based outfit.

The versatile forward player – who largely operates in an attacking midfield role – could well prove to be the heir of fellow South American gem, Manuel Lanzini at the London Stadium, with the Argentine currently offering that playmaking spark in Moyes’ side.

Signed from Al-Jazira back in 2016, the 29-year-old has since gone on to score 29 goals and register 27 assists in 207 games for the east London outfit, making an impressive adjustment to life in the Premier League after spending his early career in Brazil, Argentina and Abu Dhabi.

Like Lazaro, the five-cap gem is typically deployed in a number ten role as a link between the midfield and attack, although has also proven himself capable of featuring on the flanks, with such versatility having made him a key part of the Irons’ squad in recent times.

Dubbed a “special, special player” by teammate Declan Rice, the £70k-per-week star has produced real moments of magic in a claret and blue jersey to date, notable firing in that last-minute equaliser against rivals Tottenham Hotspur two seasons ago.

With just 12 months remaining on his contract – albeit with the club having the option of a two-year extension – it remains to be seen what his long-term future will be in Moyes’ side, with it potentially time to bed in a potential successor, such as Lazaro.

Nottingham Forest are reportedly keen on signing Leicester City midfielder Boubakary Soumare this summer, but aren’t alone in showing an interest.

The Lowdown: Soumare struggles at Leicester

The 23-year-old joined the Foxes from Lille in a big-money move last year, with the Frenchman expected to be a dominant and physical addition to their midfield ranks.

Soumare has struggled to match the hype, however, only starting 12 times in the Premier League last season and failing to force his way into the first-choice XI.

Now, it looks as though Leicester could be happy to let him leave, following a fresh update that affects Forest.

The Latest: Forest linked with move

According to Foot Mercato [via Sport Witness], the Reds have ‘an eye on his situation’, as they potentially look to snap up Soumare in the summer transfer window.

Crystal Palace also look to be strong contenders to sign the Leicester man, however, with the Eagles thought to be ‘returning’ for his signature.

The Foxes want a sale and are not expected to entertain loan offers, while the report also claims Forest could be busy right up until deadline day despite their busy summer already.

The Verdict: Potential risk?

Considering the fact that Soumare has struggled to shine in England so far, Forest signing him this summer would understandably feel like a risk, especially if they are forced to make it a permanent move.

That being said, the Frenchman has still proven to be a formidable footballer during his career, even being hailed as ‘outstanding’ by Leicester fans during pre-season.

Forest could certainly take a punt on the midfielder, especially with his age meaning he could grow under Steve Cooper, but it is clearly one that could go either way. He could provide more solidity in front of the defence, having averaged 1.4 aerial duel wins per game in the league last season, but this feels like a risk.

Manchester United are believed to have made a late enquiry for Everton forward Anthony Gordon, with the Englishman also attracting in interest from Chelsea of late.

What’s the word?

As per The Athletic – in David Ornstein’s Monday column – the Red Devils made a ‘late check’ on the 21-year-old’s availability before pressing on with their pursuit of Ajax winger, Antony, having since agreed a €100m (£85m) fee for the Brazil international.

The Toffees man has been heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge throughout the window, with the Blues believed to have been willing to pay as much as £60m in order to prise him from west London.

This report suggests that interest could well have cooled, with the youngster looking likely to remain on Merseyside beyond the September deadline.

Dodged a bullet

The reaction of journalist Rhys Jones to that eye-catching news will no doubt be a view shared by most of a United persuasion, as he stated that the club had “dodged a bullet” by not making a concrete approach for Gordon in the latter stages of the window.

Although an exciting prospect, the £10k-per-week man’s form to date has seemingly not warranted such intense interest from the Premier League’s elite clubs, with it something of a headscratcher as to the size of the fees that have been mentioned.

While the £18m-rated ace netted his first league goal of the season in the draw with Brentford at the weekend, that effort was in fact just his fifth league goal in his top-flight career to date, having also chipped in with just three assists in that time.

With only 53 league outings in the top tier to his name, it somewhat beggars belief as to why he has been linked with such high-profile moves, with the Liverpool-born winger yet to truly prove himself on a consistent basis.

There may be potential doubts over the hefty fee that is set to be paid for the aforementioned Antony, although the 22-year-old will arrive with far greater senior experience under his belt, having recorded 46 goal involvements in just 82 games in all competitions during his time in Holland.

Equally, the former Sao Paolo star also offers the added benefit of having worked under manager Erik ten Hag in Amsterdam, with the player having seemingly been desperate to spark a reunion with the 52-year-old this summer.

Had the Old Trafford outfit turned to Gordon as an alternative for the nine-cap gem there would no doubt have been uproar among supporters, with it unwise to splash the cash on a player whose Premier League record is only marginally better than that of Anthony Elanga (three goals and three assists), albeit with the Sweden international making just 27 appearances.

As Jones alluded, United may have well and truly dodged a bullet.

Sheffield Wednesday correspondent Dom Howson has provided a contract update on midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.

The Lowdown: Contract situation

Dele-Bashiru, hailed as ‘brilliant’ by Barry Bannan, has made 50 appearances for The Owls after arriving from Manchester City in 2020.

The central midfielder has enjoyed a fine start to the current campaign, contributing to five goals in just 335 minutes of action. However, the 21-year-old is into the final 12 months of his current contract with Wednesday, with speculation mounting regarding his future.

The Latest: Howson’s update

Howson ran an Examiner Live Q&A on Wednesday and was asked by one supporter for an update on a potential new deal for Dele-Bashiru.

The reliable reporter said that ‘talks are still ongoing’, with the club ‘still hopeful’ of finalising fresh terms.

“Nothing new to report, I’m afraid. Talks are still ongoing. Wednesday are still hopeful of getting it over the line. These things can take time. There’s no need to panic just yet.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Dele-Bashiru appears to be going from strength to strength at Hillsborough, which has resulted in recent interest from Blackpool and Bristol City.

Therefore, securing the player to a new long-term deal could prove to be an excellent piece of business in both the short and long run.

It looks as if Wednesday officials are trying to make that happen, so hopefully, by the time the January window opens, the midfielder will be under contract for the foreseeable future.

Nottingham Forest host Fulham at The City Ground tomorrow night and Steve Cooper will be pleased to hear that their opponents will be without one of their key players for the clash.

What’s the latest?

Marco Silva took to his pre-match press conference to give an update on an ankle injury sustained by defender Antonee Robinson during their most recent game with Tottenham Hotspur.

When asked whether Robinson would be able to play in Friday night’s game, Silva revealed (via West London Sport):

“It will be difficult, I have to be honest.

“We still have some hours until the game and we have to check him, like we are doing every single day, and we have to take the decision.”

It’s good news for Forest

Forest desperately need to start picking up more points in the Premier League as they have now found themselves in the relegation zone following their defeat to Bournemouth in their last outing, leaving them 19th with just 4 points collected from their first six outings.

The news that Fulham’s back-line will be weakened with the suspected absence of Robinson will surely leave Cooper with something to think about when it comes to deploying his best attacking threat that can take advantage of their weaknesses successfully.

The Welshman has a range of forwards he could deploy tomorrow night including Jesse Lingard, Brennan Johnson, Morgan Gibbs-White, Sam Surridge, Taiwo Awoniyi and Emmanuel Dennis, so Cooper will need to carefully select the forwards he can rely on to not only create goal-scoring opportunities but convert them too.

Both sides are newly promoted to the top flight and will be desperate to retain their Premier League status, Fulham are having a much better start than their opponents as they are currently 10th in the league, however, the Tricky Trees beat the London-based side 1-0 in their last meeting in the Championship.

Forest have lost their last three Premier League games conceding 11 goals in total and after the horror show at The City Ground against Bournemouth, Cooper will be wanting to see his side offer the home supporters a positive reaction tomorrow evening before the league breaks for the international fixtures.

West Ham defender Craig Dawson still wants to leave the London Stadium for Wolves in the January transfer window, after a deal collapsed on deadline day earlier this month.

The Lowdown: Dawson’s contract running out

The Englishman has been an impressive servant for the Hammers, rarely making the headlines but proving to be a hugely consistent performer especially during times of injury crisis at the back.

Dawson is now into the final year of his current contract, however, meaning he can leave on a free transfer next summer if he doesn’t sign an extension.

He was on the verge of joining Wolves on deadline day and it now looks as though the 32-year-old will not last until the end of the season, following a fresh update.

The Latest: Wolves move imminent?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, journalist Pete O’Rourke reports that Dawson could be off to Molineux in January, confirming the veteran still wants the move to go through as soon as possible:

“I think there’s real potential this move could be rekindled in the January window. The reason that Dawson wanted to leave was for family and personal reasons because he wanted to move closer to his family home.

“It’s something that’s still going to be on his mind and he wants to secure that move back to the Midlands. Obviously, that gives Wolves a huge advantage because they can offer Dawson that.”

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The Verdict: Still a loss for Hammers

At 32, Dawson’s very best years are now likely behind him and he has been struggling with injury of late, not playing a minute of Premier League action so far this season.

That being said, he would be a loss for West Ham midway through the season, having been described as ‘unbelievable’ by teammate Michail Antonio for his efforts last term as he started ten times in the Europa League campaign.

When fit, he is a reliable presence, ranking as one of the club’s best players during that European run (Whoscored).

Keeping him around to provide depth in this year’s continental exertions seems the preferable option, especially when the likely fee in January would be so small due to his age and contract.

Manchester City midfielder Phil Foden has been backed to see out the rest of his career at the Etihad Stadium by Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson.

The Lowdown: City agree Foden deal

The 22-year-old still has two years remaining on his contract with the Premier League side, but the club will be keen to tie him down after making a name for himself in Pep Guardiola’s starting XI.

Recent reports claim that the Sky Blues have now reached an agreement in principle with the starlet over a new six-year deal that will keep him in the northwest until 2028.

The Latest: Robinson’s comments

Asked by Football Insider whether he thought Foden would spend the rest of his career at Man City, Robinson said:

“I think he will.

“Why would you leave Man City? Where would you go? He is a local lad and the club have always shown great ambition.

“They are up there challenging at the end of every season. You could not be at a better club in this country.

“Yes, the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona are a huge draw because they are the biggest clubs in the world. But does he want to play in La Liga? I cannot see it.

“There is every chance that he will be a one-club man.

“Pep Guardiola will not be there forever though. Foden’s future may depend on what manager comes in to replace Guardiola.”

The Verdict: Fully deserved

Foden being rewarded with a new contract would be fully deserved given the hugely positive development he’s made under Guardiola.

During his time at City, the homegrown star has made 83 goal contributions (scoring 48 times and assisting 35), and has got off to a flying start this season having made four contributions in just seven top-flight outings.

The Stockport-born talent has played a significant role in the club’s success over the years, and he will no doubt continue to exceed expectations for many more campaigns to come.

Everton have made huge improvements over the Premier League season so far with eight new signings joining the squad this summer, and now a reliable source has given an update on a newcomer’s future at Goodison Park.

What’s the latest?

According to The Times’ Northern football correspondent Paul Joyce, Everton will be able to keep hold of Conor Coady despite an impending manager change at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

In an article written for the publication, Joyce claims that Coady’s season-long loan will not be affected by the managerial changes happening at Molineux and Everton have every intention of triggering their £12m option to buy clause for the centre-back following his positive impact and performances in the team.

Thelwell’s biggest masterclass

There is no doubt that signing Coady on a permanent deal would be director of football Kevin Thelwell’s biggest masterclass at Goodison Park since he joined the club in February, as Wolves’ loss has been one of Everton’s biggest gains for a long time.

Bruno Lage was more than happy to let his club captain, who Dave Edwards dubbed “phenomenal”, go this summer after the manager was keen to change his defensive tactics to a back four instead of the famous back three that has seen Wolves establish themselves in the Premier League.

Ironically, Coady is now thriving in a back four with the Toffees, developing a formidable defensive partnership with James Tarkowski which has led to Everton transforming from a relegation battling side to a solid team that has the best defensive record in the entire Premier League.

Everton have let in just seven goals over their first eight outings in the league which is two fewer than Premier League champions Manchester City this season so far, and as a result, are unbeaten in their last six games with four draws and two consecutive wins.

Over seven top-flight appearances, the reliable centre-back has one goal and one assist, making 5.4 clearances and 36.9 accurate passes per game, as well as winning the majority of his duels (52%) too.

The 29-year-old has been the recipient of his praise since he arrived in Merseyside, with teammate Abdoulaye Doucoure hailing Coady in an interview:

“He is going to help us a lot this season,” the Everton midfielder commented.

“All the times I have played against him, he was a good character and very consistent.

“We are very happy to have him in our team – he is a leader.”

It is that leadership that the Toffees sorely missed in their backline last term with Jamie Carragher dubbing them “Championship level” on their way to shipping 66 goals, the fifth worst record in the top-flight.

With that being said, if Thelwell can pull off the permanent signing of Coady it would be a big boost for the club and will leave the immediate future of the Everton defence in safe hands.

West Ham United landed one of the signings of the summer transfer window when they brought Brazilian playmaker Lucas Paqueta to the Premier League for a club-record £51m fee from Lyon.

David Moyes managed to fend off competition from the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur to land the player, which in itself is a big statement of intent.

The 25-year-old hasn’t quite settled into life in England as of yet, averaging a rating of 6.7/10 as per SofaScore and he has yet to contribute either a goal or an assist in four matches.

Only four goals this season have come from the West Ham midfield and Moyes will be hoping Paqueta can begin to contribute, although a former Hammers star might be more fitting for this current side.

Dimitri Payet would be perfect

Slaven Bilic signed the Frenchman back in the summer of 2015 in a deal worth over £10m and it turned out to be one of his best decisions during his spell in London.

His quality was immediately praised, with defender Winston Reid hailing Payet as a “special player” and it turned out to be a phenomenal season for the playmaker.

He played 30 times during the 2015/2016 Premier League season, scoring nine goals and registering an incredible 12 assists, with a series of stunning free-kicks placing him in the hearts of the Upton Park faithful.

Payet also contributed four key passes per match, created a further 16 big chances, and completed 57% of his attempted dribbles throughout the course of the season, some stunning numbers that would make him perfect for Moyes’ current ranks.

It truly was a phenomenal debut campaign and the Frenchman duly won the Premier League player of the year award, as well as winning an astonishing five awards at the annual West Ham ceremony.

His time at the club was brief, however, leaving in somewhat acrimonious circumstances in January 2017 for former club Marseille, but not before he bagged a further eight goal contributions.

The West Ham faithful would surely love the Payet of 2015/2016 to be in their current squad and he would surely thrive under Moyes who has a collection of exciting players already at his disposal.

His obvious goal threat would be welcome, but the player’s ability to create chances for others would offer so much, especially with the quality of players in the attacking areas such as Jarrod Bowen and Gianluca Scamacca.

If they did have Payet back at his peak, they would surely find themselves much higher than 15th in the league table, that’s for sure.

Celtic head into Saturday afternoon’s Premiership meeting against Hibernian off the back of a disappointing 2-0 defeat against RB Leipzig in midweek, a result which means the Hoops can no longer qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

As such, Ange Postecoglou will undoubtedly be hoping that his side can immediately return to winning ways in the league.

However, as has become something of a recurring theme for the Bhoys in Europe, the 57-year-old must address his side’s wastefulness in the final third if they are to take all three points at Parkhead this weekend.

Indeed, despite creating eight big chances over their four Champions League games this autumn – including five in Tuesday’s defeat to the Bundesliga side – Celtic have so far found the net just twice in Europe’s most prestigious club competition, suggesting that the Hoops manager may need to change up his attack against Hibs.

How many alterations will Postecoglou make to the starting XI which lined up against Leipzig? Here’s how we think the Celtic team could look against Hibernian, along with the latest team and injury news…

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Postecoglou revealed that all three of Jota, David Turnbull and Stephen Welsh are unavailable for Saturday’s fixture, alongside longer-term absentees Callum McGregor and Carl Starfelt.

The 57-year-old manager stated on Friday: “Jota’s not available for tomorrow again. We’ve just got to be a bit conservative with him and we expect him to be back in training next week at some point. David Turnbull picked up a bit of a knock on his ankle [against RB Leipzig] so he’s out tomorrow and [Stephen] Welsh also picked up a knock in training.”

With this in mind, we predict that the Greek-Australian coach will make just one change, as well as a slight tweak in formation, from the side which started the 2-0 defeat to Leipzig on Tuesday.

The back five remains intact, with Joe Hart starting between the sticks and Greg Taylor, Moritz Jenz, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Josip Juranovic making up the Bhoys’ back four.

In the midfield three, the “unbelievable” Oliver Abildgaard – in the words of David Sansun – finally makes his full Celtic debut in a holding role, allowing both Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley slightly more licence to bomb forward and join the Hoops’ attacks.

In attack, Liel Abada is available after limping off against Leipzig, but with the winger currently being on a run of six games without a direct goal contribution, the 41-goal starlet drops to the bench.

Sead Haksabanovic moves out to the right-wing, while both Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi keep their places on the left and up top respectively.