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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Tottenham Hotspur want to sign both Ryan and Steven Sessegnon from Fulham this summer in the same deal, per the Daily Mail.

What’s the word?

Spurs have already completed two signings this summer, acquiring Jack Clarke from Leeds United and Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon.

The latter has become the club’s record signing after the French club confirmed that Spurs paid €60m (£53.8m) for the midfielder, with added bonuses that could total €10m (£8.9m).

Yet it appears that they are not done yet, with the Mail reporting that the Sessegnon brothers have been targeted and Spurs have discussed including Steven in the deal for his more famous brother Ryan.

Ryan, who is 19, has made a total of 120 appearances for Fulham, including 38 in all competitions last season; he scored twice and registered six assists. He can play at left back and on the left wing.

Steven, who is the same age, has made just four senior appearances for the Cottagers and can play across the back four.

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Complicating the deal

The Guardian have previously claimed that the first-team star wants to play under Mauricio Pochettino and has already told Fulham that he will not be renewing his contract, which expires next summer.

It should be a simple piece of business, then, for Spurs to bring him to north London.

Yet adding Steven into the equation only muddies the waters. His brother has had precious little first-team exposure and has yet to make his Premier League debut.

It makes little sense for Spurs to attempt to buy both, really, unless Ryan is a major fan of nepotism.

Otherwise, one feels that negotiations could be strained by the fact that they are attempting to snatch away two youngsters from the same club, instead of focusing their efforts on the seemingly superior Sessegnon.

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Thursday’s Manchester United transfer roundup entailed an approach made for a Serie A defender, a bid for a Belgian international and news on a 21-year-old midfielder. Today’s edition covers an update on the aforementioned youngster, an offer prepared for a Super Lig star and the scouting of a Brazilian forward.

United stunned by Longstaff price tag

Manchester United have been left stunned by Newcastle United’s valuation of Sean Longstaff according to The Telegraph. The Toon have slapped a £50m price tag on the North East native, who has made just 13 appearances for the St. James’ Park outfit so far.

Red Devils prepare Yazici offer

Turkish outlet Asist Analiz is reporting that the Red Devils are preparing to make a “serious” offer for Trabzonspor’s Yusuf Yazici. United are prepared to part with an initial fee of €27m (£24.2m) plus €4m (£3.6m) in add-ons for the 22-year-old attacking midfielder.

Everton scouted

Manchester United have sent scouts to watch Gremio’s Everton according to Brazilian journalist Farid Germano. The Old Trafford side were represented at the game between the 23-year-old Brazil international’s team and Bahia on Thursday, which ended 1-1. Bayern Munich are apparently preparing a bid, whilst AC Milan have made a proposal for the Copa America’s top goalscorer.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan has offered his thoughts on the future of Kemar Roofe, suggesting that Andrea Radrizzani will be the one to blame if he leaves.

What’s he said?

Roofe’s future has been in doubt during the transfer window with the player’s contract expiring next summer.

The forward reportedly began talks with the club over new terms back in June but it doesn’t appear as though anything has materialised since.

And as such, he’s been attracting the interest of the Premier League. Per Sky Sports, both Crystal Palace and Brighton want to add him to their squads this summer.

However, with the possibility of him walking out looming, Whelan has laid the blame at Radrizzani’s door for not tying him down. He told Football Insider:

“Leeds have let themselves unprotected with Roofe. The owner has to take the blame for this. Whoever deals with contracts on the board has to take responsibility.

“Roofe is probably worth £8-10m, but because he has only a year left on his contract, his value has dropped to £5m. That’s absolutely nothing these days.”

Error of judgement

It’s safe to say that allowing Roofe’s contract to run down until its final year was a huge error.

After all, this is a forward who scored 15 times in the Championship last season and on that evidence, it’s likely his market value would have increased.

Yet, as the striker enters the final year of his deal he’s now in danger of leaving on the cheap, or even for free next summer.

Potentially cashing in on the player for around £10m, as Whelan states, would have been extremely healthy for the club, particularly after concerns regarding financial fair play were raised following Pontus Jansson’s sale.

But the fact of the matter is that it shouldn’t have come down to this.

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Leeds knew when Roofe’s contract was expiring and if they’d tried to nail him down when both he and the club were in excellent form in the first half of the season, arguably it would have been easier to get him to agree.

Before the New Year, he’d scored 13 goals whilst helping Leeds to 14 wins in 20 games.

Therefore, if the Whites had opened negotiations at that point and got the 26-year-old to sign, they’d now not be at risk of losing money.

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Newcastle United announced on Monday that they had completed the double signing of midfielder Kyle Scott and goalkeeper Jake Turner.

Indeed, Scott has arrived on a free transfer following his release from Chelsea. Turner, meanwhile, has moved on a free from Bolton Wanderers.

As expected, a number of Newcastle fans took to social media in the aftermath of the announcement to comment on the double arrival.

There were certainly those who were keen to welcome both Scott and Turner, who are expected to start with the Under-23s in the new campaign.

However, there were also plenty of supporters who took the chance to have a go at their club for failing to get any more first-team deals over the line.

Watch Newcastle United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

It has been a tough summer for Newcastle off the field and there is no question that there will be an intense atmosphere on the opening weekend of the 2019-20 Premier League campaign against Arsenal.

A selection of the Twitter reaction from the club’s fans can be seen below:

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Adam Lallana played for just over an hour in Liverpool’s 3-1 win over French outfit Lyon on Wednesday.

Named in a deeper central midfield position as opposed to a more advanced number ten role, it was certainly an opportunity for the England international to impress ahead of the Community Shield this weekend.

The 31-year-old has found it tough to really kick on at Anfield in recent years, with injury problems last season proving particularly detrimental.

After the clash against Lyon Lallana insisted that he can contribute in the upcoming campaign and also suggested that he enjoyed himself in the new-look role.

There were a number of Liverpool fans who took to social media to react to his  back the former Southampton youngster, insisting that he can impress in the coming season.

However, there were just as many supporters who took the chance to have another pop at the 5 ft 8 ace as the new campaign draws closer.

A selection of the Twitter reaction is available to view below:

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Liverpool will be able to take heart from the fact they worked out how to beat Manchester City despite their penalty shoot-out Community Shield defeat, according to ESPN FC pundit Alejandro Moreno.

Moreno was commenting on the meeting he effectively described as a game of two halves, in which City dominated the first half before Liverpool took control in the second.

Despite City handing Liverpool an early blow in the annual curtain-raiser, Moreno felt that Jurgen Klopp’s side could take some positives despite missing out on success at Wembley.

Moreno said: “What you saw from both teams is the fact that they both got a clear idea as to how they could beat the other. Manchester City in the first half, doing the things that they were doing, were creating chance after chance – and with better delivery, it would have been a different score by half time.

“Then you go into the second half, and Liverpool then showed a very clear picture as to how they can beat Manchester City.

“When you press them, and you force turnovers, Manchester City have difficulties recovering. And the reason they have difficulties recovering is because they are used to having the ball, they commit those numbers forward, [and] by the time they lose the ball, there is no chance to recover – and now you’re defending in 1-v-1 situations with guys who are not comfortable doing it.

“Manchester City will take positives, Liverpool will take positives, and in the end, all of us benefitted from what was a very good game.”

Given his previous comments about the fixture, the German boss won’t be losing too much sleep over the result, with the Premier League getting underway at Anfield this Friday.

And with the Reds not necessarily at full strength on Sunday (with Golden Boot holder Sadio Mane out of the squad), there is even more of a reason to be positive about that result, as they managed to take last season’s treble winners all the way without one of their star players.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking on Sky Sports, Jamie Carragher has raised concerns over some of Liverpool’s defending in their 4-1 win over Norwich in the Premier League.

What did he say?

The Reds kick-started their league campaign with a thumping win over the division’s new boys, but the side’s defensive performance certainly raised some eyebrows.

Having seen Liverpool concede just 22 goals over the course of the Premier League season last year, Carragher insisted Jurgen Klopp’s side need to sort out some of their defensive issues immediately.

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He said: “It’s not just today against Norwich, and you can say maybe they have taken it easy, but you look at the Community Shield against Manchester City and also pre-season didn’t go as well as you would have liked defensively.

“I am sure when Jurgen Klopp goes through the game tomorrow, he will think they need to be tighter. Van Dijk was not happy at times with different players dropping off and pushing on. It wasn’t the solid backline that we saw so much last season. It will come back, but from Liverpool’s point of view, you want it to come back quickly because you don’t want to be looking like a team who starts to concede goals as that puts doubt throughout the side.”

Doubts could be crucial

Arguably the strongest side defensively last season in English football, Liverpool’s two clashes against City and Norwich have seen signs of rare instability. The Reds were carved open with relative ease against both sides, and were slightly fortunate to not have conceded more.

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As Carragher suggests, all it takes is a little bit of doubt to creep in before it fully consumes you. Their displays over the coming weeks will go a long way to putting people’s minds at ease, but if defensive lapses and mistakes continue, then the Reds will be in trouble.

The opening games of the season are always likely to be seen as blowing off the cobwebs, but Klopp must ensure their first two games are not a sign of things to come.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to The Evening Standard, Harry Winks has insisted both Manchester City and Liverpool should “worry” about Tottenham this season.

What did he say?

Mauricio Pochettino’s side picked up a hard-fought point against the Premier League champions on Saturday, and will be looking to maintain a longer title push this season.

Now, Winks has declared that Spurs have shown in the past few years that they can “compete with the best teams in the Premier League and Europe”.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

He said: “We know how good we are. We know we’re a top side but when we come to places like this it’s important to get a result.

“I think they (City and Liverpool) should worry about us. We’ve shown in the last few years we can compete with the best teams in the Premier League and Europe. It’s important we do that on a consistent basis this season and it’s important we go to places like City and Liverpool and get results.

“The manager doesn’t allow fear in us. We don’t go into any game beaten mentally. We go into every game knowing we can win and we can outperform them. Our mentality going into every game is to be on the front foot, press and try to win. That’s probably why we came away with a good point.”

Don’t get carried away

Whilst Winks’ confidence is impressive, it does feel a touch too hyperbolic to suggest City and Liverpool should be concerned about Spurs. Whilst the north London side enjoyed an incredible run to the Champions League final last season, they finished a mammoth 27 and 26 points off the top two in the Premier League. Not to mention 13 defeats – the worst record of the top six.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

Pochettino’s side need consistency over the course of an entire campaign, rather than fits and bursts of impressive performances and results. A lengthy run in European competition where knockout football reigns supreme, is nothing like the arduous marathon of a league campaign. A fine point at the Etihad would be completely undone by poor showings against Newcastle and Arsenal in the next couple of weeks. So, whilst Winks’ declaration is admirable, it should be tinged with a little realism.

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According to Goal, Real Madrid have opened talks to sign Sporting Lisbon’s Bruno Fernandes.

What’s the word, then?

Despite having a really powerful entrance to the 2019 summer transfer window, Real Madrid have suddenly gone quiet and apart from the big Galactico signing of Eden Hazard, there hasn’t been much going on to properly excite the fans.

But it appears there could be a late addition in the Spanish capital in the form of Sporting’s Fernandes, with Goal reporting that Real Madrid have opened talks for his services having seemingly failed to prize Paul Pogba from Old Trafford.

Sporting want €80m (£72.5m) for the attacking midfielder and it looks as though Real Madrid have definitely chosen the right man to target.

Two birds, one stone

It’s safe to say that Fernandes has warranted their interest with his performances as of late. The 24-year-old attacking midfielder has been extremely proficient in both setting up the goals and finishing them off by himself. The stats and his key attributes really do attest to that.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

In his 113 games played for the Portuguese side, he has managed to score 49 goals and also assist an impressive 42 in the process. This could, as it turns out, potentially solve Real Madrid’s glaring goal-scoring problems. Last season, Los Blancos only tallied 63 goals as opposed to 94 scored the season before.

This serves as proof enough that they have been lacking a real goal-scorer as well as a real creator in the team for quite some time now – nobody managed more than a mere six assists for them in La Liga last season.

Fernandes can offer them both in one as he is more than capable of taking up those very responsibilities. Finding players that can offer those kinds of services is a tall task nowadays but the Portuguese looks like the real deal.

This starts making even more sense when we consider the state of the modern market, and the sum of around £72.5m looks like a true bargain for Zinedine Zidane and co.

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Leicester will want to continue their unbeaten run in the Premier League season as they welcome Bournemouth to the King Power Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Foxes drew their opening two matches – a 0-0 against Wolves on the opening day and a 1-1 at Stamford Bridge in a game which really should have seen Chelsea defeated.

Last weekend they came out on top at Sheffield United thanks to a fantastic Harvey Barnes volley which ultimately won them the game.

In midweek, Brendan Rodgers named a surprising full-strength lineup for their all-Premier League Carabao Cup tie against Newcastle United – only Wes Morgan and Barnes came into the starting lineup.

With several players playing back-to-back games, the Northern Irishman may look to utilise some different players.

Here’s what we think he should go with:

Leicester should operate the very same formation they started the game against the Blades with.

This enabled James Maddison to play in his best position – a more central number ten role where he scored and assisted seven goals apiece last season.

Ayoze Perez will come away from the wing where he is being wasted to partner Jamie Vardy upfront in a pairing that looks rather deadly on paper.

Watch Leicester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The only other change from last week will hopefully be the return of 22-year-old Ben Chilwell at left-back who has missed the last few games through injury.

Jonny Evans should replace Morgan in the heart of defence to continue a flourishing partnership with Caglar Soyuncu, who is looking like the revelation of the season as we have outlined previously here.

Dennis Praet should garner a start behind Maddison in a trio with Hamza Choudhury, the more defensive midfielder, and Youri Tielemans.

He’s able to offer something that no other midfielder can, as well as some width to the team, which they’ve often lacked.

If things aren’t going well, then they’ll always be able to call on Harvey Barnes, Marc Albrighton or Demarai Gray on the bench.

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