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Glasgow Rangers are ready to trigger Michael Beale’s release clause to bring him back to Ibrox and the Scottish Premiership, according to reports in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: Approach made

Ross Wilson has been on the hunt to find Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s successor following his sacking earlier this month and has identified the 42-year-old as his primary target.

They made an official approach to hold talks with Beale over the weekend, and it now sounds like they are prepared to take a huge step in a bid to secure his services at the Ibrox.

The Latest: Rangers to trigger release clause

According to Football Insider reporter Wayne Veysey on Sunday evening, Rangers are ‘set to trigger’ Beale’s seven-figure release clause as they ‘close in’ on making him their new manager.

The Light Blues are ‘poised to activate’ the buyout which is ‘one of the final hurdles’ to the two parties reaching a full agreement. The report states that the camps are in the process of ‘finalising a deal’, with the Londoner expected to be appointed ‘within the next few days’.

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The Verdict: Perfect candidate?

Rangers and Beale will already have a good relationship considering he served as a first-team coach for three years, so his existing understanding and knowledge of the club seem to make him the ideal man for the job.

The Hoops boss has won nine and drawn four of his level on playoff points with three other teams in the second tier.

Beale’s preferred formation is also an attacking 4-3-3 system, so his coaching style could excite plenty of Rangers supporters.

Chelsea ‘will try again’ to get Mateo Kovacic to sign a new contract with the Premier League club, according to journalist Simon Phillips.

The Lowdown: Opposing stances

The Croatian has now entered the final 18 months of his contract in west London, and Todd Boehly reportedly wants to hold talks with him after the World Cup to discuss extending his stay at Stamford Bridge.

However, the 28-year-old is believed to be exploring other options as a result of him and his representatives being unsure if they want remain in the capital beyond his contract’s expiry date.

The Latest: Phillips’ comments

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Phillips stated that Chelsea will use the planned negotiations to try and convince Kovacic to put pen to paper on fresh terms, alongside Mason Mount who finds himself in a similar position.

He said: “Chelsea will try again as with Mason Mount after the World Cup and speak with Kovacic and his people again and try and see where his head is at then and see if they can convince him to sign a new deal.

“But at the moment, he’s very much in the thinking that he might consider his options.”

The Verdict: Tie him down

Kovacic has been a key component at Chelsea since Graham Potter’s arrival, and having once been likened to a ‘Formula One car’ by Jurgen Klopp, the Blues boss should do everything that he can to keep the Croatian.

The 28-year-old has provided 14 assists and netted five goals during his time with Chelsea and ranks in the 98th percentile for progressive passes among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues over the course of the last year.

Kovacic’s impact in the middle of the park can’t be underestimated, and his manager will no doubt be hoping that the midfielder changes his mind and deduce that his long-term future belongs at Stamford Bridge.

Newcastle United may well be wise to step up their reported interest in Juventus goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny, with the experienced gem having proven his quality while in action for Poland at the World Cup.

Reports back in October suggested that the Magpies’ sporting director Dan Ashworth had been keeping tabs on the 32-year-old for ‘some time’ – alongside a number of other unnamed Premier League clubs – with an offer of around €18m (£15.5m) seemingly said to be enough to prise the former Arsenal man from Turin.

The piece also claimed that the Warsaw-born colossus is facing an uncertain future with the Old Lady due to his current contract status, with the 6 foot 5 menace having just 18 months left on his existing deal at the Allianz Stadium.

The 70-cap menace – who has racked up 76 clean sheets in 190 games during his five-year stay with Il Bianconeri – will likely have put himself in the shop window as a result of his stunning form in Qatar, having been integral in helping to guide his nation out of the group stage.

The £200k-per-week man recorded two clean sheets and made 23 saves from his four outings in the competition, notably saving a vital penalty on the stroke of half-time in the win over Saudi Arabia in the second group game.

Szczesny was then able to replicate that impact in the subsequent clash against Argentina, brilliantly denying the iconic figure of Lionel Messi from the penalty spot after having been harshly penalised for a foul on the Paris Saint-Germain genius that led to the spot-kick.

That save to deny the former Barcelona talisman was notably lauded by St James’ Park legend, Alan Shearer, with the striker-turned-pundit stating: “It’s a really good save. Poland have got their goalkeeper to thank for getting them through to the next round. He was magnificent tonight.”

Such a contribution ultimately helped to secure his nation’s place in the last-16 despite the eventual defeat to the Copa America holders, although the one-time Gunners ace was then helpless to prevent the loss to a Kylian Mbappe-inspired France in that first knockout round.

Even so, the ‘keeper’s overall performance should well have caught the attention of those on Tyneside, having recorded an average match rating of 7.92, as per Sofascore – the fourth-best in the competition as a whole – while he also ranks top for average saves made (5.3).

While summer signing Nick Pope is currently thriving for the northeast side – having been part of a league-best defensive unit that has shipped just 11 goals this season – the ten-cap Englishman is arguably unable to match that big game experience, having remained on the sidelines for the Three Lions in Qatar thus far.

Equally, Szczesny also has a better record with regards to goals against in comparison to those in his position in Europe as the Pole averages 0.93 goals conceded per 90 and has a 40% clean sheet percentage, while Pope averages 1.00 conceded per 90 and has a 37.8% clean sheet percentage.

For all the former Burnley man’s brilliance this season, Eddie Howe and co could seemingly land a possible upgrade in the form of the World Cup hero, with the latter man also providing the benefit of regular Champions League and major tournament involvement.

Following the one-time Roma loanee’s displays of late, Ashworth would well be wise to consider making a concrete approach in the winter window.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been linked with RCD Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi recently and the giant Kosovan could prove to be Julen Lopetegui’s own version of Brentford sensation Ivan Toney.

According to reports from Spain, Lopetegui is keen to take bring three La Liga players with him to the Premier League in January, with Muriqi on the shortlist after a superb start to life with Mallorca.

Following a mixed loan spell in Spain last season, the striker joined permanently from Lazio during the summer and has been one of the top performers in the Spanish top flight so far this campaign.

The 28-year-old, who earns £63k-per-week, has eight goals in just 12 La Liga appearances this season, which has helped him average a phenomenal 7.14 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

For context, the top performer in Wolves’ side so far this term has been Ruben Neves with a 7.00 average rating, which emphasises just how impressive Muriqi has been with Mallorca, and it is no surprise that Lopetegui wants to bring him to England.

The former Sevilla boss will be desperate to recruit a goalscorer at Molineux in next month’s window, as Wolves are comfortably the lowest scorers in the Premier League so far this season with just eight to their name, with a number of issues up front leaving the Old Gold toothless in attack.

Injuries to Raul Jimenez, Pedro Neto and summer signing Sasa Kalajdzic have proved to be extremely costly for the Midlands club, while Diego Costa, Goncalo Guedes and Hwang Hee-Chan have all flattered to deceive, so attacking additions are a must if Lopetegui wants to keep Wolves up.

Muriqi wouldn’t just add goals at Molineux, but a genuine threat as a target man, as the Kosovo international has won 4.8 aerials on average per game in La Liga this season, whereas Max Kilman leads the way for Wolves with just 2.3 aerials won per game in the Premier League.

It is perhaps this ability, which saw him labelled “utterly dominant in the air”, which makes him so similar to Toney at Brentford, as the former Newcastle man has shown himself to be adept at bullying Premier League defenders.

According to FBRef, the Brentford star is the fourth-most similar player to Muriqi when compared to other strikers across Europe’s top leagues.

The two players have registered extremely similar numbers this season with regard to goals per 90 (0.69 vs 0.71), goals per shot on target (0.43 vs 0.44) and progressive passes received (61 vs 60).

This suggests that both players are clinical finishers with excellent attacking positioning, and considering Toney’s impressive form in the Premier League so far this campaign, Lopetegui would surely be foolish to turn down a player such as Muriqi.

New Glasgow Rangers boss Michael Beale got his tenure off to a bang with victory over Hibernian on Thursday evening, with the Old Firm giants twice coming from behind in what was a thrilling return to Scottish Premiership action at Ibrox.

The Light Blues had gone into the World Cup break on something of a sour note after being held to a 1-1 draw with St Mirren in their most recent league outing, with that stalemate proving the straw that broke the camel’s back for former boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst, as the Dutchman was subsequently relieved of his duties.

Despite the renewed belief sparked by the change in the dugout, it looked set to be more of the same last night for the Gers as the home side fell behind inside the opening eight minutes, with contract rebel Ryan Porteous – who has been tipped for a move to Glasgow – almost inevitably getting on the scoresheet with a bullet free header.

The hosts swiftly hit back, however, through a driven effort from Fashion Sakala, only for Lee Johnson’s side to re-establish their lead just seconds later as Scotland international Kevin Nisbet marked his return from a lengthy injury absence by getting himself on the scoresheet with a deft dink over the onrushing Allan McGregor.

With nerves no doubt building among both the home crowd and the home dugout, midfielder Ryan Jack then tapped home at the back post early in the second half to draw the Gers level, before Alfredo Morelos netted for just the fourth time this season following good work from Malik Tillman in the build-up.

The Colombian’s strike ultimately proved crucial as there was to be no response from the Edinburgh outfit, with the new era at Ibrox getting underway with what was a hard-fought victory for Beale’s men.

That result seemingly came in spite of the dour performance of one Rangers man, however, with former Sheffield United midfielder John Lundstram having looked distinctly uncomfortable after being deployed as a makeshift centre-back alongside James Sands.

With Connor Goldson still not yet back to full fitness and with teenage star Leon King out of the matchday squad, the Englishman was forced to take on an unsuited role in the backline, albeit with that having almost backfired as far as Beale is concerned.

In truth, Lundstram simply had a “shocker” – in the words of journalist Josh Bunting – having been “all over the place” on the night, notably proving culpable for the visitors’ second goal after failing to deal with a rather innocuous through ball that fell kindly to the feet of the aforementioned Nisbet.

Not only a weak link in that second goal for the away side, the 28-year-old also looked shaky throughout the 90-minute affair, having lost possession on 11 occasions from his 105 touches, while also failing to win any of his four aerial duels.

While perhaps not used to taking on the centre-back berth, that can be no excuse for what was a truly limp performance from the Liverpool-born dud, with his match rating of 6.8, as per SofaScore, unsurprisingly the third worst of any starting player for his side.

The hope will be for both the player and his manager that such an experiment is not one that has to be tested out again any time soon, with Lundstram’s outing having laid bare the need to get that man Goldson back amongst the action.

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has claimed that signing Atletico Madrid and Portugal star Joao Felix would ‘be a massive coup’ for Aston Villa.

The Lowdown: Interest there

Villa’s interest in Felix has been widely reported, as he could leave Atletico in the January transfer window.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano, who dubbed him a ‘special talent’, has shared that there are ‘tensions’ between Felix and his manager Diego Simeone, meaning that the former is ‘open’ to leaving in 2023.

The Latest: Be a ‘massive coup’

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke has claimed that it would be a ‘massive coup’ for Villa to sign Felix:

“It’d be a massive coup to get someone like Joao Felix to make the move to Villa Park right now. Obviously, you’ve got Unai Emery there who will know all about Felix from his time in Spain as well.

“But Villa have shown in the past that they can attract players, they signed Philippe Coutinho last January from Barcelona, so they do have the finances and the lure to sign these top players.

“So, it just shows the ambition that Villa’s owners have got that they’re actually in the mix for Felix.”

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The Verdict: Unlikely…

As much of a big signing as Felix would be for the Villans, it just seems highly unlikely that they would be able to attract him in January.

90min have listed European heavyweights Manchester United, Chelsea and PSG also among his potential suitors, and Felix may want to play for a team that can offer him European football.

Hailed as ‘electric’ for Portugal during the FIFA World Cup in Qatar by journalist Nico Cantor, the 23-year-old scored one goal and made two assists in four starts (Transfermarkt) before his country were knocked out by Morocco in the quarter-finals, showing the kind of promise that persuaded Atletico to pay a whopping £113m to sign him from Benfica back in 2019.

Nonetheless, Felix looked like a player that regained his confidence, but it would likely take a lot of persuading to get him to move to Villa Park.

Journalist Ben Jacobs has dropped an update regarding Newcastle United’s reported transfer interest in Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo. 

The Lowdown: Newcastle’s link to Caicedo

The Tyneside club have been linked with a move for the Ecuadorian in recent weeks, as have fellow Premier League sides such as Chelsea and Manchester United.

This interest has led to Brighton reportedly wanting a transfer fee of £70m-£75m to sell their midfield maestro.

With the January transfer window close to opening, some behind-the-scenes details have emerged concerning the situation surrounding the Brighton star and Newcastle’s interest in him.

The Latest: Jacobs’ update on Caicedo

In a recent Twitter post, Jacobs had this to say regarding Newcastle’s link to Caicedo, revealing one man is pushing a deal in the boardroom.

“The Newcastle links do have some substance to them. Dan Ashworth has been pushing Caicedo since joining Newcastle from Brighton as sporting director.

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“But Newcastle have some FFP concerns so may also be put off by the price or wait until summer.”

The Verdict: A financial quandary for Newcastle Caicedo’s league performances for the south coast outfit this season have proved how much of an impressive midfielder he is and why he has some big clubs after him.For example, having featured in all 15 of Brighton’s league games, he’s made more progressive passes (68) than any of his teammates as well as having the highest combined total of tackles and interceptions (65) at the club. His performances for Roberto De Zerbi’s side this season have earned the midfielder an overall season rating of 6.9/10 from WhoScored, making him the fourth-highest rated player at Brighton.Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that Caicedo would be a solid, albeit an expensive addition to Newcastle’s squad.Moving forward, it appears that despite Ashworth’s hopes of bringing the midfielder to St. James’ Park, the financial aspects of the potential move is something that the club will have to consider beforehand.

Celtic’s latest Old Firm derby stalemate saw World Cup star Josip Juranovic endure a grim return to club action, with the Croatia international having produced an unusually shaky display after entering the fray early in the first half.

The 27-year-old had been called into action following an injury to usual left-back Greg Taylor inside the opening 20 minutes, although the former Legia Warsaw man looked distinctly uncomfortable in that role, having “nearly cost” his side at Ibrox, as per The Athletic’s Owen Brown.

The attacking right-back – who did feature on the left of the defence on 13 occasions last term – was no doubt culpable for Ryan Kent’s equaliser after being caught out of position in the build-up to the goal, having also been far too easily outmuscled by the lively Fashion Sakala.

The latter man had given Juranovic something of a “torching” – in the words of journalist Jonny McFarlane – as the Hoops defender was simply unable to deal with the winger’s sheer pace and directness down the flanks.

Such were his woes, former Bhoys striker Scott McDonald noted that it looked as if the £16k-per-week man was “still in Qatar”, while another former Paradise hero – Chris Sutton – stated that the 27-cap dud had been “awful” and “terrible” on the day.

Following what was “possibly one of his worst performances for Celtic” – according to Glasgow Live’s Matthew Fulton – it looks as if Juranovic could well be leaving on something of a sour note, amid rampant reports that some of Europe’s top clubs are chasing his signature.

On the basis of that latest outing, Postecoglou should have no qualms about ditching the highly-coveted asset this month, particularly with the title-winning coach already having a potential replacement within his ranks.

The former Yokohama F. Marinos boss could well turn to promising full-back Ben McPherson if the Glasgow side are to allow Juranovic to depart in the near future, with the 18-year-old currently shining in the youth ranks.

The promising Scotsman has scored once and registered one assist in 18 appearances in all competitions so far this term, having solidified his place at right-back for the club’s ‘B’ team of late.

The teenager was also part of the U19 side that defeated RB Leipzig in the UEFA Youth League earlier this season, with that exciting crop of youngsters having been lauded as “terrific” by youth boss Stephen McManus.

Such form was recently rewarded with a new contract extension, with the Scotland youth international having committed himself to the club until 2025, showcasing just how highly thought of he is by those at Paradise.

A player who has “worked tremendously hard” – according to McManus – McPherson could well be the next figure to force his way into the first-team reckoning, with the impending exit of Monday’s derby day villain, Juranovic, potentially set to open the door for a chance at senior level.

An update has emerged on Aston Villa and their pursuit of a striker during the current January transfer window…

What’s the talk?

According to reports in Spain, via Sport Witness, Unai Emery is pushing for the club’s board to pursue a deal to sign Vedat Muriqi this month.

The report claims that RCD Mallorca are not eager to sanction an exit for their star striker but the player has a release clause of €38m (£34m) that the Villans could activate if they so choose.

It is stated that they have already had an offer of €20m (£18m) rejected by the Spanish side and that their next offer could go as high as €30m (£27m) after Emery’s insistence on a swoop for the forward.

Imagine him & Emi Buendia

Emery and Villa could provide midfielder Emi Buendia with the prolific striker that he has been missing since he joined the club from Norwich in the summer of 2021 by securing a deal for Muriqi.

The Argentine playmaker created 15 chances and two ‘big chances’ in nine Premier League starts without recording an assist this season. This comes after he provided 49 key passes and eight ‘big chances’ for his teammates in the top-flight last term and was rewarded with just six assists.

These statistics suggest that the former Getafe winger is being let down by the current forwards at the club as they are not making the most of the opportunities that he is creating with impressive regularity.

Muriqi’s form in La Liga for Mallorca this season indicates that he could be the man to make the most of Buendia’s brilliance as he has plundered eight goals in 13 starts for the Spanish outfit.

The striker, who has scored 23 goals in 44 matches for Kosovo at international level, has found the back of the net eight times from 6.89 xG and this shows that he is making the most of the chances that he is being provided with and then some.

Villa need a centre-forward who can finish off the key passes that Buendia is creating for the team on a regular basis and Muriqi, who was once described as “utterly dominant” in the air by smarterscout on Twitter, could fit the bill.

His goalscoring exploits in another major European league in Spain suggest that he could be a fantastic signing for the Villans and NSWE must now back Emery by paying the money required to sign the marksman in the coming weeks in order to bolster the squad.

Celtic’s Reo Hatate was hailed by Matthew Fulton for his performance against Kilmarnock.

The Lowdown: Celtic victory

Celtic stretched their lead at the top of the SPFL to 12 points following a 2-0 win against Killie at Parkhead.

Goals six minutes apart at either side of half-time through Jota and an own goal from Ash Taylor were enough to extend the Bhoys’ 100% league record at Parkhead this campaign and extend their domestic unbeaten streak, which dates back to September.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have put more pressure on Rangers, who face a trip to Dundee United on Sunday.

The Latest: Fulton raves over Hatate

One key player for the Hoops today who yet again caught the eye was centre-midfielder Hatate, who received the highest rating from Fulton’s player ratings on GlasgowLive with a 9/10 display.

He wrote: “A sublime eye for a pass shown by the opener and a good cross for Kyogo for the second. A good few efforts of his own. An all-round effortless showing.”

The Verdict: Star man

The 25-year-old added his fifth assist of the season as he set up Jota’s opener to put Celtic on their way.

According to Sofascore, Hatate completed 59 passes at a success of 81% with four key completed passes – the highest of any player on the pitch.

Despite losing possession 18 times, it just highlights how direct and expansive the Japanese’s play was today as he embodied the playmaking role for Postecoglou.

Making his 14th SPFL start in a row, Hatate again proved his importance to the side as he notched his ninth goal involvement of the campaign so far as Celtic look destined to record back-to-back titles come May.