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Recent reports have seen West Ham United linked with a move for Stade Rennais forward, Gaetan Laborde, with the Hammers potentially set to make a late swoop for the Frenchman before the window closes.

Additional reports have suggested that the 28-year-old – who only joined his current side last summer – would potentially be available for a fee of around €25m (£21m), with the east Londoners having already done business with the Ligue 1 outfit to sign defender Nayef Aguerd.

That interest has certainly been warranted such has been the striker’s impressive form in front of goal of late, having scored 20 goals and provided eight assists in 47 games in all competitions last term.

That haul included a tally of 15 league goals last season – the joint-sixth highest figure in the French top-flight – while he has already netted once in three league games this term, living up to his reputation as something of a “goal machine”, in the words of journalist Clement Carpentier.

Also lauded for his “incredible mind” by agent Christophe Hutteau, the £35k-per-week gem has been a reliable goalscoring presence in his homeland in recent times, having previously scored 39 goals and provided 20 assists in 118 games for Montpellier.

Dubbed a “leader” by current Rennes boss Bruno Genesio, the one-time Bordeaux man could well prove to be just as influential were he to make the move to the London Stadium, with manager David Moyes likely to want to bolster his forward line having seen his side fail to score in the opening three league games of the season.

The Irons will likely be hoping he can have the same impact in English football as that of his compatriot Dimitri Payet, with the playmaker having dazzled the Premier League after making the switch to the capital from Marseille back in the summer of 2015.

A true master from dead-ball situations, the 5 foot 9 genius developed into a real talisman for the Hammers during his brief, yet delightful 18-month stay, with the club seemingly having seen few better talents in the modern era.

The 38-cap sensation remains a cult hero among West Ham supporters after producing a string of memorable moments in a claret and blue jersey, be it that stunning solo goal against Middlesbrough or his majestic rabona assist for Michail Antonio against Watford.

Laborde – who can feature on either flank – can also seemingly produce his own moment of cheeky quality, having notably netted a delightful panenka penalty in the victory over Troyes back in February.

The hope will be that he can reproduce such crowd-pleasing moments for Moyes’ men moving forward if he is to sign before deadline day, with both West Ham – and their supporters – no doubt craving their next Payet-esque figure.

Crystal Palace are reportedly interested in signing Peterborough United centre-back Ronnie Edwards this summer and the teenage defender could be the next Marc Guehi in Patrick Vieira’s side.

According to the Peterborough Telegraph, Chelsea are readying a bid for the 19-year-old defender, who is also attracting interest from Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton.

The young centre-back broke into Peterborough’s side last season and caught the eye despite their relegation back to League One, as he made 34 appearances in the second tier.

He has kept his place as a starter in Grant McCann’s side this season, starting in each of their six League One fixtures so far this season, helping the Posh to fourth in the league.

Darren Ferguson waxed lyrical about Edwards after a 3-0 win against Birmingham City last season.

He said: “It helps having Ronnie Edwards at the back. He’s an incredible talent, easily the best young player I’ve managed. He seemed to get everyone playing. It was a remarkable performance as he also coped defensively against two Premier League standard players in Troy Deeney and Tahith Chong.”

Previous reports have suggested that Palace will need to pay £15m if they want to prise Edwards away from the Weston Homes Community Stadium but if he lives up to his obvious potential, he could prove to be a shrewd acquisition by Palace.

Should the teenage defender make the move to Selhurst Park, he will be looking to emulate Guehi in Vieira’s side. The former Chelsea man, like Edwards, first established himself in the Championship during a loan spell with Swansea City before his permanent move to the Eagles.

He has since gone on to represent England at the senior level and considering Edwards is a regular for England U19s, he will be looking to follow a similar career trajectory under Vieira’s guidance.

While it is unlikely that he would replace either Joachim Andersen or Guehi in Palace’s first team right away, he could be a great long-term option for Vieira to have, especially when James Tomkins likely departs the club when his contract expires next summer.

Should Edwards arrive at Selhurst Park this summer, there is no reason why, with the right amount of time and experience, he can’t enjoy similar success to Guehi in the Premier League, as it is clear that they are both highly-rated talents who have been coached well throughout the EFL.

Chelsea’s owners ‘did all they could’ to sign West Ham United star Declan Rice over the summer transfer window, according to journalist Simon Phillips.

The Lowdown: West Ham overhaul…

It was quite a busy summer for David Moyes and the east London club as they welcomed a plethora of major signings through the door at Rush Green, including Brazil international Lucas Paqueta in a club-record deal from Lyon.

Along with the South American, Alphonse Areola, Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes, Gianluca Scamacca, Maxwel Cornet, Thilo Kehrer, Emerson put pen to paper on permanent moves to the Premier League club.

However, incomings weren’t the only interesting aspect of West Ham’s transfer business, with links surrounding the future of Rice amid Chelsea’s long-standing interest.

The Latest: Chelsea ‘did all they could’ to sign Rice…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Phillips has now made an interesting claim on the saga.

He explains that Chelsea’s owners personally travelled to the London Stadium in their bid to negotiate a deal for Rice, but it didn’t come to fruition.

Phillips stated of the 23-year-old: “The owners did all they could to try and get him. They went to West Ham, they had conversations about him and I was told that it even went as far as structuring the payments of the deal.”

The Verdict: Warning?

This development perhaps comes as a slight warning for Moyes and West Ham.

Rice’s current contract expires in 2024, and while they have the option to extend it by a further year, the Hammers will need to start becoming competitive in showing to the England star that they can challenge for silverware and Champions League football.

Hailed as ‘sensational’ by members of the media, the Irons will want to do all they can to keep hold of their club captain, who has been their second-highest rated player of a difficult season so far (as per WhoScored).

Wolverhampton Wanderers have agreed a deal to sign Universidad de Chile winger Dario Osorio, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Long-standing interest

Over the summer, it was claimed that the Molineux outfit had reached an agreement for the forward to join, but his club were reluctant to sanction the sale.

The Old Gold later made a second attempt at signing the 18-year-old, with reports suggesting that the two parties were in negotiations to bring him to the Premier League, though a move failed to come to fruition before deadline day.

The Latest: Wolves set to unveil Osorio

According to ESPN journalist Maks Cardenas (via Sport Witness), Wolves have now completed a deal for Osorio, meaning an announcement should be expected imminently. He said:

“Osorio is ready, he’s sold and look what I’m going to tell you, one of the top three teams in Serie A came to me for Osorio, I cannot say which one, who went to see him against England in Murcia.

“But here between corridors I heard out there that he’s already sold to Wolves for €6m.” (£5m).

The Verdict: Star in the making

Osorio is one for the future given his age, but Bruno Lage should be excited about having him in the building with the knowledge that he has the ability to work his way up to the first team.

The teenager scored six goals last season and already has two international caps for Chile to his name, which is a great achievement for someone still so young.

Fosun and Jeff Shi may decide that a loan move would initially be best to aid his development, but there’s no reason as to why he couldn’t challenge for a senior spot upon his return.

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire can seemingly do little right at present, with the 29-year-old having replicated his miserable early season club form for his country, after producing a disaster class for England on Monday night.

While the former Leicester City man is potentially an easy target for criticism as a result of his status as Red Devils skipper – as the player himself suggested – as well as his £80m price tag, he has seemingly not helped himself following a string of dismal displays, having stolen the headlines in the Three Lions’ 3-3 draw with Germany.

The £190k-per-week centre-back notably gave away a penalty to hand the advantage to the visitors at Wembley, before again costing his side as he lost possession in the build-up to Kai Havertz’s stunning strike, with only a late comeback from the hosts somewhat sparing his blushes.

As journalist Jacob Schneider suggested, the 6 foot 2 dud is now a “liability for both club and country”, having been absent from the starting XI for the Old Trafford outfit in the Premier League since the shambolic loss away at Brentford just over a month ago.

As pundit Jamie Carragher suggested, it may well be ‘too late’ for the £27m-rated man to save his United career such has been his struggles over the past year or so, notably keeping just six clean sheets in 30 league appearances last term.

While Maguire’s time at the Theatre of Dreams could well be coming to an end, manager Erik ten Hag can help to kickstart the career of another by turning to teenage star, Louis Jackson, with the 16-year-old having caught the eye in the youth set-up of late.

The promising defender had notably come to wider attention after earning a late call-up ahead of the FA Youth Cup final back in May, securing a place in the starting XI after Tyler Fredricson had been struck down by illness.

As per The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell, the highly-rated gem – who made his debut for the club’s U23 side at the age of just 15 – was at school when he was informed he would be taking part in the game, even arriving at the pre-match meal in his uniform.

The Scotland youth international would aid his side in clinching glory over Nottingham Forest in that showpiece, having seemingly not been fazed by the occasion in front of what was a record crowd at Old Trafford.

Such quality has seen the centre-back also recognised by earning an inclusion in the Guardian’s Next Gen list, alongside the 20 best young talents at each of the Premier League clubs.

While young Jackson is yet to make a senior appearance for the Red Devils, it is encouraging for Ten Hag to know that he does have such an exciting asset emerging in the academy ranks, particularly amid Maguire’s continuing decline.

Should he be unearthed for good in the next few months, it could well help push their skipper further away from the manager’s plans. That can only be good news for United’s progression under the new head coach.

Manchester City star Phil Foden is closing in on a new long-term contract with the club, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein.

The Lowdown: Foden’s City career

As a Manchester lad and a boyhood City fan, the 22-year-old has been fulfilling his childhood dream in recent years under the guidance of Pep Guardiola.

Since graduating into the first-team squad in 2017, the England international has already made 180 appearances for the club, contributing 51 goals and 35 assists to the Premier League champions’ success.

Foden became even more of an Etihad Stadium hero this weekend after scoring his first career hat-trick against rivals Manchester United in an emphatic 6-3 victory.

The Latest: Foden’s contract

With contract talks delayed due to a change in the player’s management, Ornstein has now shared a fresh update on Foden’s situation.

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic journalist claimed: “Man City hope Phil Foden will sign his new contract until 2027 this week. Once last details agreed #MCFC plan to confirm 22yo’s deal – finally achieving what all parties wanted after protracted negotiations & tying down another key player @TheAthleticUK”

The Verdict: City’s future

At just 22 years of age, Foden has already established himself as a crucial part of City’s incredible success under Guardiola.

Having earned stylistic comparisons to the likes of Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior, compared with positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, the Sky Blues winger ranks in the 91st percentile for non-penalty goals and the 89th percentile for touches in the attacking penalty area and for progressive passes received.

Those figures mark him out as a player who frequently gets into the box and can make a telling impact once there.

Hailed as a ‘very special’ player by England teammate Declan Rice, Foden looks destined to play a major part in City’s setup for years to come, especially if he commits his long-term future to the club.

Therefore, news of his impending contract renewal will surely come as a huge relief to City fans.

Sheffield Wednesday were dealt a double sucker punch on Tuesday night in their defeat against Plymouth Argyle, as Reece James was forced off through injury before the Pilgrims sealed the three points with a stoppage-time winner.

What’s the word?

Moore provided the latest on his injury situation following the game, saying:

“We’ll have to assess him in the morning – we’re not sure if it’s his thigh or groin, we’re not sure yet… It’s too soon to say.”

Details of how long the player’s injury could keep him out for haven’t been disclosed yet, but he may well now be a doubt to face Cheltenham Town at the weekend with the manager sweating over his fitness ahead of that clash.

A blow for Moore?

The Owls are now four points off the automatic promotion places in League One and will be looking to bounce back from that late defeat when they face Cheltenham on Saturday, so to have James potentially missing through injury could be a huge blow for Moore.

The 28-year-old joined Wednesday on loan from Blackpool during the summer and has been revitalised as a centre-back in Darren Moore’s system, featuring in eight of the Owls’ fixtures in League One this season.

Even after a red card against Peterborough saw him miss out on the first-team squad for three matches, James has quickly worked his way back into Moore’s plans and was extremely impressive in their 1-0 win over Port Vale last weekend, earning a 7.26 rating from WhoScored after helping the Owls to another clean sheet.

Indeed, during that display he won a whopping eight defensive duels, which included an impressive four tackles.

Unsurprisingly, he started alongside Ben Heneghan and Michael Ihiekwe for the top-of-the-table clash, something that demonstrated his importance, even in the big games.

The former West Brom boss was full of praise for the versatile defender earlier in the season, saying:

“He was excellent. He showed tenacity, determination and aggression. He has got a lovely left foot on him and gives us that balance on the left-hand side. He has been superb. He is someone that I worked with at Doncaster. He has got wonderful versatility.”

Therefore, Moore is clearly a big fan of what James can offer in his defence and will no doubt be gutted if the loanee isn’t fit for the weekend, as it will likely see the less-attacking-conscious Mark McGuiness or Dominic Iorfa start in his place.

Journalist Dean Jones has shared some news on Tottenham Hotspur and the future of summer signing Djed Spence.

The Lowdown: Spence joins Tottenham…

The Lilywhites right-back was among a contingent of new players brought in to back Antonio Conte and make Spurs a force to be reckoned with this season.

Ahead of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, Spurs signed the former Nottingham Forest loanee along with sealing Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison, Clement Lenglet, Destiny Udogie and a permanent deal for Cristian Romero.

However, it hasn’t exactly been a dream start to life in north London for the defender, with Conte only calling on Spence for two league minutes in total despite his ability.

The 22-year-old enjoyed a brilliant campaign at Forest last season, with some members of the media calling him an ‘incredible’ player.

The Latest: Jones shares Spence update…

However, speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones has now claimed that Spurs are set for internal exit talks over Spence’s future at the club, with a potential loan move away deemed a possiblity.

He explained: “I have said for a while that it would not surprise me if Djed Spence was made available for loan in January.

“I think it will depend on the depth of options Spurs have by that stage but, certainly, it is something that is going to be discussed.”

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The Verdict: He needs minutes…

Spence going out on loan for the second half of this season could be best for all parties.

Tipped to be a ‘great signing’ by some pundits within the media, the 22-year-old needs regular minutes to continue developing and potentially one day become a real mainstay in the Tottenham squad.

The fact that he hasn’t even had a look-in despite Emerson Royal’s current suspension does not bode particularly well for him in N17 right now.

Liam Keen has shared an early team news boost for Wolves ahead of their clash at home to Leicester City in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Ait-Nouri illness

As per The Birmingham Mail, Rayan Ait-Nouri missed Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace due to illness, despite travelling to south London for the game.

Hugo Bueno took the French youngster’s place in the starting line-up and helped himself to an assist for the goal scored by Adama Traore at Selhurst Park.

The Latest: Ait-Nouri ‘fine’ to face Leicester

Taking to Twitter, Express and Star journalist Keen has shared some early team news from interim Wolves manager Steve Davis, who shared good news on Ait-Nouri and indeed the squad as a whole prior to the visit of Leicester on Sunday.

The 57-year-old stated: “Ait-Nouri is fine. Everyone is available.”

The Verdict: Keep Bueno in?

Even though Ait-Nouri is back and available, there is an argument for Davis to keep Bueno in the starting line-up, given his assist against Palace and an overall impressive performance which saw him win five duels, make three clearances, three interceptions and three tackles and achieve a 92% pass accuracy (SofaScore).

However, Ait-Nouri has been one of Wolves’ standout performers over the season so far, ranking highly among his team-mates in terms of average tackles, dribbles and crosses per Premier League match (WhoScored).

Having the Frenchman back is a boost, and Davis may want to go for that extra little bit of experience against a Foxes side with confidence after their 2-0 win at home to Leeds United on Thursday night.

Crystal Palace may regret their decision to sell Freddie Woodman to Newcastle United in 2013, as he has now established himself as one of the best English goalkeepers outside of the Premier League.

The 25-year-old was a product of the academy at Selhurst Park but made the switch to the Magpies nearly 10 years ago, with the Toon no doubt paying a minimal fee for what would have been a 16-year-old at the time.

He progressed through Newcastle’s academy, enjoying loan spells at the likes of Hartlepool, Crawley Town and Kilmarnock before he began to knock on the first-team door at the Toon.

During his time with Kilmarnock, the young ‘keeper earned the praise of his former manager Lee Clark, who said: “I’d been watching Freddie and I’d known him from a young age. I knew he was an outstanding young keeper and had all the attributes.”

Despite some superb performances on loan with Swansea City in the second tier, with whom he reached the Championship playoff final in 2021 having kept an incredible 20 clean sheets, Woodman wasn’t deemed good enough to feature in the Premier League for Newcastle.

He was sold to Preston North End this summer and has picked up where he had left off in the Championship with the Swans, keeping 10 clean sheets in his first 17 league appearances for Ryan Lowe’s side.

This comfortably sees him leading the race for the Golden Glove in that division, and should he continue his fine form with the Lilywhites, it would not be a surprise to see him earn a move back to the Premier League in the near future.

While Palace boast two top goalkeepers in Vicente Guaita and Sam Johnstone, the Spaniard is now 35, so Woodman could have been an excellent long-term replacement had he remained with the Eagles nearly a decade ago.

It is impossible to say whether the shot-stopper would have enjoyed the same career path had he remained at Selhurst Park, but there is little doubt that the former England under-21 man has a lot of talent and could easily feature again in the top flight.

Therefore, Palace may well be having nightmares over their decision to let the 25-year-old leave.