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Manchester United could move for Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele this summer if they fail to secure the signature of Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho.

What’s the story?

The England international has been a long-term target for United, and progress is reportedly being made to get that deal over the line, but Dembele is viewed as an alternative option if the 21-year-old stays put.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges were keen on the Barca man 12 months ago and still hold an interest in him to this day, according to transfer expert Duncan Castles (as reported by The Express).

Solskjaer must avoid

United enjoyed fans saw their team progress last season, achieving consecutive fourth-place finishes in the Premier League for the first time since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

However, they also witnessed their side crash out of the Champions League group stages and fall to defeat in the Europa League final, extending their longest trophy drought in over 30 years.

With Liverpool already making moves in the transfer market, strengthening their backline with the acquisition of Ibrahima Konate, and Chelsea bidding for the highly-rated Achraf Hakimi, the Red Devils need to bolster their ranks over the coming months.

The Transfer Window podcast host Castles has claimed that United may do so by bringing in Dembele, ending his four-year Camp Nou nightmare.

“Man United turned to Dembele at the end of the last transfer window when they couldn’t get (Jadon) Sancho,” he revealed.

“They made a number of bids and (held) extensive negotiations with FC Barcelona. (It’s) something they had in play from early in last summer’s transfer window.”

“They’re not working in the same way with Dembele this summer, but they have asked to be kept informed of what Dembele does and if he becomes available,” Castles continued.

“He is a back-option, and they’ve done a little bit of work on (a possible deal).”

The £210,000-per-week flop has failed to hit the heights during his time with the Catalan giants. A string of serious injuries have limited the 24-year-old to just 118 appearances in all competitions since his arrival back in 2017.

And although he’s shown glimpses of his top-class quality, Dembele has failed to hit double figures in either goals or assists during his four La Liga campaigns.

If United are going to close the 12-point gap to Premier League champions Manchester City next term, then Solskjaer needs to bring in someone with a far greater output than the Barca ace.

And, in other news…Woodward heading for huge transfer mistake over “very clever” Man Utd maestro 

‘Not much will have changed’ at Celtic if Eddie Howe’s appointment isn’t accompanied by structural shifts, according to club legend Charlie Nicholas.

Nicholas issued the warning in his regular Daily Express column, as quoted by the Daily Record.

The lowdown

Howe is finally set to be confirmed as Neil Lennon’s long-term successor this week.

It was almost two months ago that it was reported that those who went to check this website would have got very short odds as Celtic were on the verge of appointing the former Bournemouth boss.

Howe’s desire to bring backroom staff from the Vitality Stadium, who were engaged in a Championship promotion bid, is one of the reasons for the hold-up.

The 43-year-old will face the daunting task of overhauling a 25-point deficit to Celtic’s arch-rivals Rangers.

The latest

Nicholas is excited by the impending appointment, expressing his confidence that Howe will bring ‘hope’ to Glasgow and ‘play in the right way’.

But he also admitted to fears that the ‘dynamics’ at the club may not meaningfully change – he thinks it’s vital that Howe is able to put his own stamp on Celtic.

“It will be good to see Celtic get Eddie Howe over the line so the fans can finally get some vision and clarity,” he said.

“There has been no leadership from the club hierarchy of late. Hopefully this pending appointment will be the start of better things to come.

“What I want to know is, where is the dynamic change we expected at the club? Is the appointment of Eddie the catalyst?

“He will do a very good job for Celtic, he’ll give the club hope and play in the right way.

“But what’s happening with the director of football role and the rest of the plan moving forward?

“If Howe’s bringing in his own men then fair play to him.

“But if the likes of Gordon Strachan and John Kennedy are involved then not much will have changed – with the same old glove puppets reporting back to Dermot Desmond.”

The verdict

As Nicholas suggests, failure to to really address what’s wrong behind the scenes for the Hoops could make the Howe appointment rather meaningless.

The good news however is that, according to the Daily Record, incoming chief executive Dominic McKay may also present a new director of football this week as part of ‘a major restructuring’ – one would suspect that Howe sought assurances of this ‘dynamic change’ before he agreed to take the job.

The coming weeks should hopefully feel the like beginning of a new era at Parkhead.

In other news, a former Scottish international has issued his verdict on a potential Howe transfer target.

Sky Sports reporter Anthony Joseph has pinpointed three factors as to why Celtic’s talks with Eddie Howe dramatically collapsed on Friday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Howe deal collapses

As mentioned, the Hoops’ talks with Howe came to an end on Friday, with the club confirming in a statement that the 43-year-old will not become Neil Lennon’s permanent successor.

Stephen McGowan of the Daily Mail was the first to share the news regarding the development, revealing that there was a breakdown in talks between the two parties.

The Latest: Joseph’s post

Joseph took to Twitter less than an hour after the news broke, sharing three factors as to why Howe’s proposed move to Celtic failed to materialise.

According to the Sky Sports journalist, budget, backroom staff and personal reasons all contributed to talks ending between the Hoops and the former Bournemouth manager. He explained:

“Talks between Eddie Howe and Celtic have broken down. Budget, backroom staff & personal reasons all factors behind the collapse of this deal. Celtic are now looking at other options.”

As we now know, the Hoops are looking at Ange Postecoglou. The 55-year-old is currently with Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos, but John Percy of The Telegraph believes that, as of Friday evening, the Hoops are close to appointing the Australian.

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The Verdict: Hoops’ horrific week with Howe

Bournemouth’s Championship play-off defeat to Brentford last weekend appeared to open the door for Celtic to push through a deal for Howe, but it seems as if the Hoops have had the week from hell in their managerial pursuit.

The Cherries’ play-off heartache gave Celtic the chance to bring his wanted members of staff from the south coast to Scotland, but it appears as if the Hoops met a dead end in that department.

However, Howe’s personal preference and apparent dispute over budget could have been dealt with much earlier, so you’d expect the Parkhead hierarchy to be fuming at the recent development.

It seems that they are now on for Postecoglou, though, so it appears Celtic officials have moved on very quickly from their failed pursuit of Howe.

In other news: Celtic still hold interest in Premiership ace, find out more here. 

Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani must avoid an unforgivable error at Thorp Arch this summer amid calls for Marcelo Bielsa to become the new Tottenham manager.

What’s the story?

After Jose Mourinho’s sacking at Spurs in recent weeks, former Lilywhites ace Jamie O’Hara tipped Bielsa to replace the Portuguese man at the north London club.

He said: “I would say Bielsa. I think he’d be absolutely brilliant and the fans would love him. If you can try and prise him away form there it’d be unbelievable. The Leeds fans would be devastated and there would be uproar but Spurs are bigger than Leeds.”

In response, Carlton Palmer spoke exclusively to FFC about the prospect of Bielsa moving on from Elland Road, and admitted that if Spurs did come knocking for him, he would be “very surprised” if he didn’t go.

He said: “You want to better yourself. You want to get the top jobs, just like players want to go to top clubs, so it’d be a fantastic opportunity for him.

“If Spurs come knocking, that’s a different ball game. That’s a great career opportunity for him. I’d be very surprised if Tottenham came knocking and he wasn’t prepared to go.”

Radrizzani’s biggest priority

Make no mistake about it, more than any new signing they could make this summer, ensuring Bielsa remains at Elland Road for next season must be Radrizzani’s biggest priority.

The Argentine has become a messiah at Leeds with the way in which he has transformed the club over the past few seasons, steering them back to the promised land of the Premier League and even seeing them hold their own against the division’s very best clubs in their first campaign back in the top-flight.

The fact that pundits are talking of Bielsa going to one of the Premier League’s ‘big-six’ clubs should be seen as a compliment and recognition for the incredible work he has done at Elland Road, not an insult.

But, what it does do however, is just raise questions about whether Bielsa could move to one of those clubs sooner rather than later, and the opening at Spurs has presented a very real opportunity to do so.

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It’s exactly why Radrizzani must avoid making an unforgivable howler and ensure that the Argentine stays put. Otherwise, as O’Hara says, “Leeds fans would be devastated”.

Meanwhile, Bielsa must unleash this Leeds United starlet…

Celtic’s pursuit of Eddie Howe is now over six weeks old but we are finally coming towards a conclusion in this drawn-out saga.

The Hoops saw Neil Lennon resign back in February and since then they’ve been trying to convince the 43-year-old to come to Glasgow.

What’s the latest?

It was reported towards the end of last week that Howe would become the new manager of the Bhoys by talkSPORT.

However, we’ve heard no official word from Celtic yet that the former Bournemouth man will arrive in Glasgow.

That being said, the hierarchy have now received a massive boost in their bid to lure Howe to Scotland.

The Englishman was one of the favourites to succeed Roy Hodgson as manager of Crystal Palace but he reportedly flopped during the interview process.

Though, in a fresh update from the Daily Record, it’s claimed that he isn’t even interested in becoming the new manager at Selhurst Park.

McKay will be elated

This is a considerable boost to Celtic’s hopes of ensuring Howe is in the dugout at Paradise next season.

Up until this point, it looked as though the former Cherries boss was leaning towards a Premier League return.

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His agent had convinced him he could get another job in England and with Hodgson leaving Palace, it seemed like the ideal opportunity, one he couldn’t really turn down.

You can hardly blame him either. The top-flight of English football is notoriously known as the best division in the world while the sheer amount of money involved in transfers would have been mouth-watering.

As Celtic know, it’s hard enough to convince their players to stay in Glasgow, let alone convince a sought-after manager to reject England and sign on the dotted line in Scotland.

With Howe wanting to bring a number of Bournemouth’s backroom staff with him, the Hoops will have to wait until their play-off campaign is done and dusted.

Once that’s concluded, it should be nothing more than a formality for McKay to conclude a deal.

After all, the biggest obstacle of them all – the chance to manage in the Premier League – has been eradicated.

Celtic chiefs should be able to rest a little easier now.

AND in other news, Forget Hickey: McKay can save Celtic millions by unleashing “tricky” rarely-seen 18y/o…

With Aston Villa enjoying a remarkable Premier League season thus far, Dean Smith will no doubt be incredibly proud of the work he and his players have done.

The Villans lie just outside of the top ten in the table, but have a game in hand on both Leeds and Arsenal above them, with a win being enough to seeing them leapfrog the two into ninth place.

But while Smith has done a fantastic job in turning things around so impressively since last season – Villa, of course, only managed to avoid relegation back to the Championship on the final day of the campaign – there is one major criticism that should be levelled at him.

A report conducted by CIES Football Observatory collated data from clubs all across the Premier League, to find out the “percentage of domestic league minutes by footballers who had not yet turned 21 at the time of the matches played this season”.

In it, Villa have the eighth-worst record in terms of giving minutes to it’s U21 players, with just 1.4% being taken up by those who fit that criteria – in comparison, Wolves, who have the best record in the division, have handed out a whopping 16.2% of their minutes to U21s.

It’s a report that exposes a worrying trend at Villa, and one that should have Smith ashamed given the incredible number of young talents coming through at the club via the academy system.

You only have to look at how Villa’s youngsters captured the imagination in their FA Cup third round defeat to Liverpool to see that the club have got a real golden generation coming through, while the side are also competing in the latter stages of the FA Youth Cup this season.

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The likes of Louie Barry, Aaron Ramsey and Kaine Kesler to name but a few have surely shown that they are worth bringing into the first-team fold and being handed minutes here and there.

With the modern game seeing more and more British-based youngsters heading abroad to seek out first-team opportunities – the likes of Jadon Sancho and Jude Bellingham at Borussia Dortmund spring to mind – Villa desperately need to start mapping out a better plan for their crop of talented youngsters.

Meanwhile, Villa must regret their howler over this “frightening” star…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has revealed he is open to the idea of Adama Traore returning to Villa Park.

According to MailOnline, Wolves are willing to listen to offers for the 25-year-old this summer after demanding an incredible £70m for him last year, and Hendrie believes the Villans bringing their former player back to the club would be a good move.

Traore was a real handful for teams last season, tearing up that right flank before putting dangerous balls into the box. He finished the 2019/20 Premier League campaign with nine assists and a ridiculous average of five dribbles per game (via WhoScored).

For Hendrie, that kind of attacking threat out wide is something Dean Smith could definitely do with.

On the Spanish winger, the ex-Villa player told FFC:

“I feel he would be a good signing, I really do. I just feel that with a wide man that’s got pace and ability and can put a decent delivery into the box, it would suit Dean’s style of play. Now whether or not he’d come to Villa is a bit of a big question, come back to Villa obviously because he was there beforehand.”

Hendrie finished off by saying:

“Yes, he’d be a great addition with his pace and strength. I feel he’s a player that’s built and got better since coming into the English game so, yeah, I’d have Traore all day in my side because he’s just direct and he is something that I feel would work well for Villa.”

While there is nothing to suggest that Villa will make a move for Traore in the summer, the Midlands club do look set to strengthen the wide positions, with The Telegraph reporting that signing a winger is a priority.

Tottenham Hotspur have been told how much it’ll cost to land one of their mooted targets this summer…

What’s the word?

According to The Star, Sheffield United are expected to demand in excess of £35m for midfielder Sander Berge amid interest from their rival Premier League clubs.

It’s claimed that the Norway international appears destined to leave Bramall Lane at the end of the season, with the Blades heading back to the Championship after two seasons in the big time.

They also believe that claims United would consider a fee of £28m, a mere £6m return on the investment they made to land the 23-year-old a little over a year ago, are wide of the mark.

Liverpool and arch-rivals Arsenal are two other teams interested in his signature.

Fellaini 2.0

Built like a towering centre-back at 6 foot 5 inches, Berge offers a unique presence in midfield, particularly as his ability on the ball is far greater than what you’d expect from an absolute man-mountain.

And this sort of threat is something that Spurs do not have amongst their squad but is one Jose Mourinho has utilised before in Marouane Fellaini.

Originally signed by David Moyes at Old Trafford, the Belgian colossus quickly became a favourite under the Portuguese. “He is a player and a person I like and the person is more important. He will always have my trust and protection,” once said Mourinho.

The Spurs boss relied on Fellaini for his aerial dominance and could only often get into the match when the ball was played up to him, though this is where Berge differs as an impressive box-to-box presence.

In terms of defensive ability, the 23-year-old brute is averaging 1.2 tackles per game this season, a decrease on his 1.6 per match from last campaign, as per WhoScored. He’s also chipping in with 1.4 clearances and 1.2 aerials won.

Only Tanguy Ndombele and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg are more productive when compared to Spurs’ current central midfield options.

Clearly, Berge can read the game well and is prepared to put in the hard work to stop the opposition.

Whilst in attack, he’s averaging 1.3 dribbles per game, proving to travel with the ball up the pitch, and 0.9 key passes per match, too. Again, only Ndombele and Harry Kane have pulled off more successful dribbles, and he would rank third in the Spurs squad for creativity too.

It’s no wonder ex-Blades boss Chris Wilder has lauded the powerhouse as a “unique” and “complete midfielder” in the past.

Given CIES Football Observatory currently value Berge at €40m (£36m), Levy could well seal the north Londoners a nice bit of business if he sanctions this deal in the summer.

In return, Mourinho would get a new weapon to play with. Almost similar to that of Fellaini but almost certainly an improvement. Berge would be a fine addition under the ‘Special One.’

AND in other news, The £70m worth of talent now fighting for their futures under Mourinho…

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. 

This season has been plagued with issues for Celtic and their supporters. Parkhead is no longer a fortress and no longer is it the home of the most dominant team in Scottish football.

That title now, unfortunately, belongs to the club’s fiercest rivals and Celtic have a number of figures to thank for their downfall, whether it be Neil Lennon or Peter Lawwell.

Once the season ends and the summer arrives, both figures will have left their respective roles in Glasgow.

Lawwell’s recruitment, together with Nick Hammond, has to be questioned. They splashed out £4.5m on the error-prone Vasilis Barkas while Shane Duffy’s loan has been nothing short of a shambles.

Lennon never delivered results this term either. The defence was a horror show with the Bhoys conceding 19 in just six Europa League games. There has been another deeper issue, though. That belongs with the club’s academy.

The Old Firm clubs chose to withdraw their reserve teams from the SPFL Reserve League in 2019 but it hasn’t necessarily benefitted the Hoops. The short end of the story is that if you’re a young player at Celtic Park, you’re unlikely to earn game time.

Cameron Harper has already gone back to his native America while it’s looking unlikely that Karamoko Dembele will sign a new contract. The positive, however, is that Celtic are looking to make amends.

They have already agreed a deal to sign teenager Liam Shaw from Sheffield Wednesday while Wigan Atheltic’s young striker Kyle Joseph could also sign.

With the Hoops hierarchy on the lookout for a new manager with a proven track record of developing young players, those in the club’s academy should be licking their lips and jumping up and down with excitement.

One such player is attacking midfielder Owen Moffat. The 19-year-old has never been seen in the Celtic first-team but it’s clear the higher-ups rate him quite considerably.

Moffat, who has been with the club a total of 12 years, penned new terms only last summer. He then renewed them in January. Unlike Dembele and Harper, he clearly sees a future for himself in Glasgow.

There are understandable reasons behind Celtic’s desire to keep him, mainly because he occupies similar spaces to that of David Turnbull. Moffat has a canny knack of arriving late in the penalty area and it’s a quality that’s seen him score plenty of goals at academy level.

The 19-year-old popped up to score against Inverness Caledonian Thistle late last year after some lapse marking. Moffat broke forward and then darted into the penalty area to get on the end of the cross.

The finish could have been better but he still found the back of the net. It was the perfect sight for those who rate him so viciously.

He has netted against Dundee United as well this term and if anything underlies his qualities, it was a sensational strike against Vendee in the Milk Cup back in 2019. To say he knows where the net is would be an understatement.

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With Tom Rogic a target for many clubs in Asia, there could well be a hole to fill in Celtic’s attacking midfield. So many academy stars have questioned their future at the club, but Moffat is someone who has stuck around.

As such, he deserves a chance in the senior side. Like Turnbull, he has proven he’s got the ability to score goals from midfield. That is crucial.

AND in other news, Celtic manager search takes fresh twist; it should be good news for Hoops supporters…