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Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele is close to joining French giants Paris Saint-Germain on loan with an option to buy ahead of the conclusion of the January transfer window on Monday.

What’s the latest?

According to Sky Sports, the 25-year-old is set to return to his homeland and join the Ligue 1 leaders for the rest of the season, with a purchase option in the deal.

The Frenchman still has three-and-a-half years left on his contract with the north Londoners, having joined the Lilywhites for a club-record fee of £63m from Lyon in summer 2019.

Having made just three Premier League appearances since Antonio Conte took charge at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the 25-year-old will be seeking regular game-time in order to reignite his career.

Levy could be making a mistake

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy has come under scrutiny this month, with the north London outfit still yet to make a signing in the January transfer window with only two days left before it concludes.

Tottenham are currently seventh in the Premier League, although Conte’s side are just two points off the top four and have two games in hand on fourth-placed Manchester United as they seek a return to the Champions League by the end of the season.

There will also be the ambition of putting together a serious attempt of winning the FA Cup, with the Lilywhites’ trophy drought reaching 14 years by the end of next month.

Therefore, the Italian will need to try and keep as much quality in his squad as he can, and that is something Ndombele can provide when at his best.

The move to north London has been nothing short of a disaster for the Frenchman, having played 5,160 minutes across 91 appearances, an average of 56.7 minutes per appearance.

The 25-year-old currently has the likes of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp and Harry Winks ahead of him in the midfield pecking order, with the former playing in all but one of Spurs’ Premier League matches this campaign.

Having not been included in the last two Spurs squads for the 3-2 win at Leicester and 2-0 defeat at Chelsea, it is clear that the Frenchman isn’t foremost in Conte’s thoughts. However, should injuries and suspensions stack up, Tottenham may regret allowing Ndombele to depart if they sanction his proposed loan move to Paris.

After all, he is still capable of producing game-changing moments of magic, while former Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has championed the midfielder’s “great talent”. If Ndombele is allowed to leave, being shorn of his quality could be a contributing factor if they fall short of a top-four finish.

AND in other news, Talks opened: Conte could form frightening Spurs unit by signing £40.5m-rated “beast”…

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit Kevin Phillips of Sky Sports has shared an interesting Tottenham Hotspur claim as Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta’s extension talks hit a stumbling block.

The Lowdown: Azpi new deal talks reach impasse?

The Blues captain has now entered the final six months of his contract at Stamford Bridge with no extension agreed or confirmed as of yet.

Azpilicueta, it is reported, is looking to secure a three-year agreement with Chelsea but this is proving to be one major aspect holding back a potential agreement (The Telegraph).

The west Londoners apparently have a policy of only offering one-year extensions for players over the age of 30, placing the Spaniard’s future in some doubt as the clock ticks on.

Reacting to this impasse in talks, Phillips has made a ‘shock’ Spurs transfer claim.

The Latest: Phillips makes Azpilicueta claim…

The former Sunderland striker, speaking to Football Insider, claims that the 32-year-old defender could make a ‘shock’ move across London to Spurs if he fails to reach an agreement with Chelsea.

“100 per cent, Conte will be interested,” Phillips explained when asked if Spurs could Azpilicueta as a free agent.

“I’m certain of it because Azpilicueta is a player whom he knows and a player who did well for him.

“He’s been so consistent since coming to the Premier League. You know what you are going to get from him.

“He’s a leader as well and that’s something Spurs perhaps lack. I think Conte would love to sign a player of his experience.

“If things don’t work out at Chelsea, I would not be surprised if Azpilicueta crossed London to join Spurs. It’d be a shock but I don’t think it’s impossible.”

The Verdict: Unlikely…

Given the full-back’s status as a long-serving Chelsea player with over 450 appearances, making his debut nearly 10 years ago, we highly doubt he would swap his beloved club for a rival in the capital.

This is especially true given Azpilicueta is also attracting interest from Barcelona, and while it is impossible to fully know a player’s mindset, there is reason to believe he’d favour a move to the Camp Nou in his homeland over N17.

The £150,000-per-week star, we believe, isn’t someone Spurs fans should expect through the door any time soon.

In other news: Club owner fuming with his £43.2m-rated star after he refused offer to join Tottenham, find out more here.

The Northern Echo reporter Scott Wilson has said that is ‘utterly unforgivable’ that Sunderland haven’t appointed a new manager ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Cheltenham.

The lowdown

It has been nine days since the Black Cats sacked Lee Johnson following a 6-0 defeat away to Bolton Wanderers, and they don’t appear to be on the verge of announcing his replacement just yet. According to The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, they are due to hold a second round of interviews this week.

Mike Dodds is set to remain in caretaker charge for the time being, having overseen a 2-1 defeat against bottom-of-the-table Doncaster Rovers at the weekend.

The latest

In a snippet of his The Northern Echo column that he posted on Twitter, Wilson wrote that it was already a ‘bad decision’ to go into the game against Doncaster without a manager in place.

Hearing that a ‘temporary managerial structure’ is still in place for Tuesday’s game at Whaddon Road, he has been left aghast.

He stated on Twitter: “Heading into Saturday’s game with Doncaster Rovers without a manager was a bad decision. Journeying to Cheltenham tomorrow with a temporary managerial structure still in place rather than a new boss would be utterly unforgiveable.”

The verdict

If Saturday’s shock defeat is anything to go by, Sunderland’s slide could continue as they weigh up their options. Back-to-back losses have seen them slip to fourth place, with their automatic promotion prospects now thrown in doubt.

Leaders Rotherham United are now eight points ahead of the Wearsiders, and although the gap to second-placed Wigan is only two points, it’s worth stressing that the Latics have a full four games in hand.

Sunderland’s hierarchy must find the balance between sufficient deliberation and the pressing need for stability, with the automatic promotion chase in danger of getting away from them.

In other news, Luke Edwards dropped a lunchtime update on Roy Keane’s chances of getting the manager’s job

Patrick Vieira has been rebuilding Crystal Palace by adding a number of young players into the squad since his arrival last summer and will surely be looking to continue his progression by recruiting further this summer.

However, the Frenchman could be set for his first howler with the latest transfer news at the club.

What’s the word?

According to reports, via the Daily Mail, Crystal Palace have joined Southampton in registering their interest in Tottenham Hotspur player, Harry Winks ahead of the summer transfer window.

After struggling to prove his worth at Spurs, the 26-year-old is now reportedly set for a move away at the end of the season, and Palace could be an option for him.

The report suggests that Vieira wants to add strength and depth to his current side for the 2022/23 season, with Winks now a target for the club.

Vieira set for howler

It’s safe to say that the Eagles boss has made all the right moves when it comes to transfers so far in his short tenure at Palace, signing up the likes of Jean-Philippe Mateta, Marc Guehi and Michael Olise in permanent deals, all of whom have become important first team players since they joined.

Signing Winks from Tottenham could easily become Vieira’s first howler in his rebuild, with the player failing to make a credible impact on Tottenham and often scathed for his performances at the London club.

Spurs insider John Wenham slammed the 26-year-old after Tottenham crashed out of the Europa Conference League earlier this season.

“Winks was so bad he was omitted from the West Ham squad completely when we can have nine substitutes.

“Winks was poor on the night and he’s been poor all season, so disappointing.

“He’s well down the pecking order. The fact he felt the need to go to the press is terrible.”

According to SofaScore, the £91k-per-week midfielder has failed to impress at Spurs with his performance statistics highlighting his mediocrity in his 14 Premier League appearances. He has made two errors leading to shots from the opposition, is only successful in 50% of his dribble attempts and aerial duels and is dribbled past 0.9 times on average per game.

As a result, there is definitely time to look into better options for Crystal Palace going forward and Winks should not be made a priority signing for Vieira given his lack of impact on the Spurs team.

If the club wants to progress into consistent top half finishes in the Premier League they should be looking for more effective players who could become available in the summer.

In other news: Parish must finally axe “valuable” £80k-p/w CPFC dud, he doesn’t fit Vieira’s vision

Alasdair Gold has delivered a hugely encouraging update on Tottenham defender Cristian Romero amid his recent call-up to the Argentina squad.

What’s the story?

Writing initially on Twitter, Gold revealed: “A little piece on Cristian Romero, who is expected to be back at Hotspur Way tomorrow and involved in training.”

Then, in a follow-up piece for Football.London, he added: “Cristian Romero is expected to train with Antonio Conte’s Tottenham side on Tuesday after his latest farcical international break with Argentina.

“The centre-back was called up for Argentina despite being suspended for both of their matches during this international break, as they awaited an appeal over his ban. That appeal was rejected and football.london understands that Romero is now expected to be back at Hotspur Way on Tuesday and involved in training with his Tottenham team-mates.”

Big boost for Conte

Romero’s return to Spurs earlier than expected meant that he missed Argentina’s clash against Ecuador on early Wednesday morning – a game if he had played, would have seriously put into doubt his status and condition for the Lilywhites’ Premier League clash against Newcastle on Sunday.

The centre-back has quickly established himself as the cornerstone of this Spurs defence when he’s been fit and available, starting the last nine games in the Premier League and completing the full 90 minutes in all but one of them – that was the game against Everton when the north London side had put the game to bed in the first-half and Conte could withdraw him early in the second period.

Romero having those extra few days back at Spurs to just further rest and ensure he is fully fit for Sunday is a welcome boost for Conte, who knows that Spurs have a real chance of clinching Champions League qualification this season.

Every win counts, and having the Argentine available is a major boost to those chances of doing so.

AND in other news – Left for £0, now worth £40m: Spurs suffered huge howler over “very explosive” U21 star

Following West Ham United’s disappointing 2-0 defeat to Brentford on Sunday, The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas has voiced his concerns over the form of Michail Antonio.

The Lowdown: Antonio in poor form

The 32-year-old started the season with a bang after scoring four goals and setting up another three in the Irons’ opening three league games. However, in recent weeks the Jamaica international has struggled in front of goal, having failed to score in his last 12 Premier League appearances.

As such, the former Nottingham Forest player has copped criticism for his lack of end product – a worrying issue for David Moyes, with Antonio being the only senior striker at the east London club.

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The Latest: Thomas’ verdict on Antonio

Thomas has been left concerned over Antonio’s form, exacerbated by the number of important games which are fast approaching in West Ham’s schedule.

Taking to Twitter at the full-time whistle on Sunday afternoon, the journalist stated: “Disappointing performance. Antonio’s form is a concern. He hasn’t scored in his last 12 league games. Brentford played without Jansson for the first time all season but Antonio and others failed to capitalise on that. Need to see a response against Lyon”

The Verdict: Big push needed

The 32-year-old’s lack of goals was proving to be a huge issue for West Ham, given Jarrod Bowen’s recent absence, although with the star winger now back, this may alleviate the pressure on Antonio’s shoulders.

However, if the Jamaica striker wants to maintain his place in Moyes’s starting XI next season, he will need to make a big push to illustrate why he deserves to be in contention. His overall performance against Brentford was one to forget, so it’s quite understandable why Thomas is so alarmed over the player’s recent form.

Antonio could certainly do with a goal against Lyon on Thursday night to answer the critics…

In other news: These were West Ham’s three worst players v Brentford

Erik ten Hag is ‘close’ to making a decision on whether to join Manchester United, according to reliable reporter David Ornstein for The Athletic.

The Lowdown: Ten Hag’s demands

The 52-year-old appears to be United’s first-choice target after positive discussions last month, with reports last week suggesting that a move was close.

As we know, a deal is yet to be announced, and the Dutchman has made a number of demands to United chiefs before putting pen to paper on a long-term deal. According to Fabrizio Romano, Ten Hag has asked to be 100% involved when it comes to new signings, outgoings and fresh contracts and believes now is a ‘key point’ when it comes to a United rebuild.

The Latest: Ornstein’s update on Ten Hag

Ornstein posted on Twitter on Monday morning to share a corresponding article from The Athletic, claiming that Ten Hag is ‘close’ to making his decision.

He added that United may now negotiate with Ajax instead of paying his release clause, with no announcement due before the Dutch giants’ KNVB Cup final with PSV Eindhoven this weekend.

Ornstein has since added that United have now reached a verbal agreement in principle with Ten Hag.

The Verdict: Strange

United sources recently revealed that the club would trigger Ten Hag’s release clause this week, but it looks as if there has been a twist, with them now looking to negotiate.

The 52-year-old’s release clause is just £1.7m, so it does seem strange that the Red Devils are looking to possibly bring that down.

Ultimately, Ten Hag will be the man to decide on an Old Trafford move, and hopefully United officials will be doing everything they can to persuade him over a move to England.

In other news: ‘Interesting’ Man Utd news has pundit talking; says Leeds supporters ‘will be devastated’

According to journalist Jorge Nicola (via Sport Witness), Liverpool are among the clubs interested in Palmeiras youngster Luis Guilherme. 

The lowdown: Rapidly rising stock

The 16-year-old was part of the Palmeiras side that won the biggest U-20 tournament in Brazil in January and appears to have a bright future.

Guilherme provided one assist in two appearances during the competition despite his tender years, featuring alongside the highly sought after Endrick, who has also been linked with the Reds previously.

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Not it appears that Liverpool could be casting their eye on South America once again…

The latest: Reds make contact

As per Nicola’s YouTube channel, translated by SW, the Anfield club, along with Manchester City, are said to have been ‘analysing’ the Brazilian youngster since last season.

Whilst there is no mention of bids for the left-winger – who has already been compared to Brazil legend Rivaldo – both Premier League giants are believed to already be in contact with representatives of the youth international.

Meanwhile, a report elsewhere from Defensa Central also cites interest from Liverpool but focuses on Real Madrid, whilst mentioning admiration from Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona, ​​Inter Milan and AC Milan, so it seems he is highly sought-after.

The verdict: Make it happen Julian

Albeit a relatively unknown entity, taking a gamble on unearthing the next superstar from Brazil can only be viewed as an exciting transfer for the club, and it’s good to see newly appointed sporting director Julian Ward hard at work scouring every corner of the globe.

So often down the years, Real Madrid have held the monopoly when it comes to landing the next big thing from South America, but given Liverpool’s current stature and indeed the Brazilian contingent already based on Merseyside, the Anfield club must be a major contender.

Guilherme scored three times as Palmeiras lifted the Under-15 Nike Premier Cup in 2021 and the levels of interest would suggest that this is a move Ward should be seriously considering.

In other news, one Liverpool player has been backed to leave this summer. Find out who it is here.

Liverpool have been boosted by the news that Villarreal key player Gerard Moreno could miss both Champions League semi-final clashes with the Reds.

The Lowdown: Liverpool one step from Paris

Jurgen Klopp’s men overcame Benfica in the quarter-finals, following an exciting 6-4 win on aggregate, booking their place in the semis in the process.

It is Villarreal who Liverpool are up against next, following their surprise win over Bayern Munich, with a place in the final in Paris now within touching distance.

With the first leg at Anfield arriving on April 27th, a key injury update has emerged from Spain.

The Latest: Moreno could miss out

Taking to Twitter on Monday, journalist David Lynch shared confirmation that Moreno has picked up a hamstring problem that could rule him out of both legs of the tie:

“Villarreal confirm striker Gerard Moreno has suffered a hamstring strain. No timescale but that doesn’t bode well for his chances of facing Liverpool.”

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The Verdict: Undoubted boost for Reds

Moreno has arguably become one of Villarreal’s most important attacking players, so the idea of him missing both legs is undoubtedly a positive for Liverpool.

He has scored nine goals in 14 La Liga starts this season, as well as picking up the all-important assist for Samuel Chukwueze’s goal away to Bayern earlier this month.

It is worth stressing that Moreno hasn’t officially been ruled out yet but the current news suggests Liverpool’s hopes of reaching the Champions League final have been boosted.

In other news, one Liverpool player has been backed to leave this summer. Find out who it is here.

Wolves have reportedly held advanced talks over the potential summer signing of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Pedrinho.

What’s the word?

That is according to Goal Brasil, who stated that Wolves’ interest should result in a positive outcome during the next transfer window.

As per Gazeta Esportiva, the Old Gold reportedly showed interest shortly after the suspension of the Ukrainian Premier League.

Pedrinho in, two out?

The signing of the 24-year-old Brazilian could give Lage the license to axe Francisco Trincao and Daniel Podence, who cost Wolves a combined £183k-per week and have underperformed this season.

Trincao’s loan from Barcelona has not gone to plan, with even Lage admitting that the 22-year-old’s spell at the Molineux has been poor. As per Birmingham Mail, the manager said: “We’ve talked about it since the first day because we’ve not scored too many goals. It’s not just about Trincao, but when you look at your numbers. One goal and one assist is not good.”

Whilst Trincao has managed just one goal and one assist in the Premier League, Podence is another who has failed to deliver for Lage, having netted just two goals and three assists this season in what is almost a replica of his returns the season prior.

The man who could replace the pair is Pedrinho, who was on track to achieve his best run of attacking returns in the Ukrainian Premier League before it was suspended.

With Trincao due to head back to parent club Barcelona at the end of the season, Wolves will only have one left-footed winger in the squad in the form of Pedro Neto. Therefore, Pedrinho could offer great value as an inverted winger for Lage, a move which could boost the Molineux side’s goal returns next season.

Pedrinho has achieved the same amount of attacking returns as Podence has this season in 14 fewer games, with his two assists proving crucial in Shakhtar’s run for the Ukrainian league title before football was stopped in the war-torn country.

In other news: Wolves plot exciting bid for £13.5m-rated “octopus”, £133k-p/w duo could be axed