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Aston Villa are in advanced talks with Everton over the signing of left-back Lucas Digne, according to a report by The Athletic.

The Lowdown: Digne fallout with Benitez

The France international’s future has come under scrutiny this season following Everton’s poor run of form, which currently sees them sitting down in 15th position in the Premier League table.

Last month, it was reported that the full-back has publicly fallen out with Rafael Benitez, with the manager confirming that Digne has asked to leave the club. As a result, the Frenchman has not played a single minute of football since the Merseyside derby defeat on December 1.

The Latest: Villa in talks with Everton

According to a report by The Athletic, Aston Villa are in advanced talks with Everton over the signing of Digne.

Steven Gerrard had identified the former Barcelona man as his top target, with Villa keen on bolstering their options at full-back.  It is reported that the 28-year-old is seeking a move to a club already playing European football, or one with a serious chance of doing so next season.

Due to the recent arrival of former Premier League superstar Philippe Coutinho, Villa are confident that their exciting new project has convinced Digne to proceed with the move.

Previous interest from relegation-threatened Newcastle United was rejected by the left-back, with Chelsea also considering a swoop for the player following Ben Chilwell’s season-ending injury. However, Thomas Tuchel’s side only wanted a loan move, whereas Everton are more keen for a permanent deal to be done.

The Verdict: Big blow for Everton

The Frenchman has established himself as one of the best left-backs in the Premier League since his arrival at Everton, with his strong crossing ability often paying dividends for the Toffees, as demonstrated by his haul of 18 league assists on Merseyside.

Having slipped down the international pecking order, Digne will likely be glad to seal his exit from Goodison Park, as he will be desperate for regular first team football ahead of the 2022 World Cup in a bid to regain his left-back spot in the France side from Theo Hernandez.

His impending departure will be a sad sight for Everton fans, as the left-back solidified himself as a fan favourite during his time at the club. Also, former Toffees manager Carlo Ancelotti once described the 28-year-old as ‘one of the best in Europe’, so don’t be surprise if you see Blues supporters in dismay if Digne secures a move to Aston Villa.

In other news: Everton now prioritising ‘exceptional’ £9m-rated beast as third January signing

Celtic have been dealt a big setback in their bid to bring Reo Hatate to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Dan Orlowitz (via Everything Celtic), with the Japan Times journalist revealing that, despite reports suggesting that the player’s contract with Kawasaki Frontale is set to expire in January, the 24-year-old is actually contracted to the J League club beyond the end of the current campaign.

Subsequently, in recent comments cited by the Daily Record, Orlowitz went on to reveal that that Frontale are commanding a fee in the region of £2.4m in order to part with Hatate this January, something which is reported to be a stumbling block in Celtic’s move for the midfielder.

Speaking about the Bhoys’ interest in the player, Orlowitz said: “I’ve heard that Frontale want £2.4m for Hatate.”

Fans will be gutted

Considering just how impressive Hatate has been in Japan this season, the news that Celtic will not be able to land the midfielder on a free transfer, and may even end up missing out on his signing if they do not meet Frontale’s asking price, is sure to have left Hoops fans gutted.

Indeed, over his over 30 J League appearances this term, the £720k-rated man scored five goals, registered two assists and created three big chances for his teammates, as well as taking two shots and making 1.1 key passes per game.

These returns saw the 24-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.16, ranking him as Frontale’s fifth-best performer in their title-winning campaign.

Furthermore, Hatate’s ability to play at both left-back and attacking midfield is something which would prove incredibly useful for Ange Postecoglou, as Celtic are currently lacking strength in depth in both positions.

As such, it would indeed appear as if the 24-year-old’s signing would be a fantastic one for the Bhoys to get over the line this winter, and why Orlowitz’s latest update could come as a big blow to the club, as well as worrying news for fans.

In other news – Get rid: Ange must now axe £20k-p/w “waste of money”, he’s stealing a living at Celtic

Celtic could make on-loan winger Jota their fourth and final January addition, according to Football Scotland’s Mark Hendry.

The Lowdown: Japanese trio

The Hoops have already begun working on their January business, with Ange Postecoglou looking to add three Japanese players to his injury-hit squad.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-19/” title=”Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Terms have reportedly been agreed for midfielders Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi, whereas Celtic also want to bring in forward Daizen Maeda and are confident of doing so.

The club’s early 2022 business may not stop there, though, with rumours of Jota’s loan possibly becoming permanent surfacing earlier this month.

The Latest: Permanent Jota move?

Football Scotland journalist Hendry shared a Celtic-related transfer update on Wednesday morning, suggesting the Hoops are not interested in Gremio midfielder Fernando Henrique.

Within their report, they reiterated that Celtic want to bring in Hatate, Ideguchi and Maeda before facing Rangers on January 2, with Jota’s permanent Parkhead move possibly their fourth and final winter window addition.

The option to buy fee for Jota, labelled as a ‘game-changer’ by Alex McLeish, stands at £6.5m, which could see him become the club’s most expensive signing under Postecoglou ahead of Kyogo Furuhashi’s £4.86m summer switch.

The Verdict: Enough?

Celtic have plenty of attacking injuries to deal with at this moment in time, one of which is Jota, with full-backs Josip Juranovic and Adam Montgomery playing on the wing against Ross County on Wednesday. [SofaScore]

Postecoglou has also relied heavily on Callum McGregor, David Turnbull and Tom Rogic in the middle of midfield, so two new additions should be enough for the second half of the season.

Four permanent signings in January would continue Postecoglou’s Parkhead rebuild after 12 additions in the summer and should give him plenty of options to choose from as Celtic look to chase down rivals Rangers.

In other news: Devlin shared exit news hours before Ross County; ‘first class’ Celtic gem could now go

In their latest attempt at escaping League One and making a return to the Championship, Sunderland probably haven’t had the start to their campaign that most at the club would have hoped for.

With the January transfer window on the horizon, it seems as though Sunderland could make an addition to their squad during the next window with someone that will be pretty familiar to a lot of fans at the Stadium of Light.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by Chronicle Live that Sunderland will review Jack Diamond’s loan spell at Harrogate Town in January and the possibility of recalling him back to the Wearside club.

Since joining Harrogate back in August in what is his second loan spell with the club, Diamond has started all of the 12 League Two games he’s appeared in prior to their midweek match against Carlisle United, scoring three goals and providing two assists in the process.

With this in mind, it’s easy to see why the possibility of Sunderland recalling him from his latest loan early has been raised recently.

As a product of Sunderland’s youth academy, the 21-year-old winger has a total of 78 appearances under his belt for the U18 and U23 sides combined with ten goals and ten assists to his name.

For the senior side, Diamond has made 40 appearances across all competitions where he has managed to score two goals and provide six assists, showing that he can be a fairly useful attacking option.

With this in mind and the fact that Diamond, who has been described as a “dynamic” by Johnson in the past, could offer the Black Cats boss an extra attacking option to his side for the second half of the season, one that could sway Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and co from spending money on new players in the winter.

His return could end up being crucial for Sunderland should they lose any of their current attacking options to injury, that could well help push the side to a promotion place and revive their campaign having lost a fair amount of games already this season.

However, given how many minutes Diamond has got under his belt so far this season at Harrogate, it seems like his potential playing time back at Sunderland would be a big factor in whether he will return to his boyhood club in January or not.

In other news: Johnson must ruthlessly axe “unique” lightweight tonight, he could cost SAFC dearly – opinion

There is no doubt that West Brom and Valerien Ismael will be looking to add quality to their team in the January transfer window, as they endeavour on a battle in the second half of the season to climb into one of the automatic promotion spots.

Although Albion are maintaining their ability to dominate inside the Championship as they currently sit fourth in the table, their lack of goals and poor finishing is costing them valuable points and catching up on them in the league table.

They go into their game on Saturday having not won in their last four fixtures, scoring once almost a month ago against Middlesbrough.

This lack of firepower has added huge speculation surrounding West Brom, the January transfer window and which forwards they could attract to join the club and save their season before they fall any further.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, Jamie Paterson has now had his name thrown into the mix of strikers, wingers and forwards on the Baggies’ list of potential signings.

Paterson has also only signed a one year contract with Swansea this season, so West Brom could also get the player at a cut price in the January transfer window, which will surely only add to the attraction to snap up the forward.

Saving their season

The 29-year-old is currently at Swansea, after moving to the Welsh side from Bristol City and has been performing impressively in his time with the team, scoring eight goals and registering four assists in 20 appearances so far this season.

Because of that, he’s earned rave reviews, particularly from a former teammate in Lloyd Kelly who said:

“He’s got the quality of a top player.”

“And obviously the form that he’s in at the moment is good for him.”

Paterson is definitely proving he has the ability to finish and also assist his teammates with his current 12 involvements making him an ideal fit for West Brom due to their current goal drought and complete lack of finishing. For example, they’ve had a shocking 61 shots and 0 goals in their last three games.

Consequently, the striker could definitely be somebody who saves their season and pushes them towards promotion.

It isn’t certain what the exact plans are for West Brom going forward, and if they will add players to their squad in the upcoming transfer window at all remains to be seen. However, Ismael will have to inject something into Albion, to get the side back into contention for promotion.

West Brom face sixth-placed Coventry City at the weekend and will be desperate to take three points from the game, as a loss could see them fall further down the Championship table to as low as seventh.

In other news: Valerien Ismael could be sacked before Christmas

After humiliating Manchester United 5-0 in their latest Premier League match, Liverpool now have a different challenge on their hands in their next game with a clash against Championship club Preston North End at Deepdale in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

On the chalkboard

One player that wasn’t involved in the victory at Old Trafford that we think should be in the starting XI in midweek is 26-year-old winger Takumi Minamino.

Minamino has only made two appearances for Liverpool across all competitions so far this season, one of which came during the Merseyside club’s previous Carabao Cup match which saw them beat fellow Premier League side Norwich City 3-0, with Minamino scoring two of them.

Taking this into account, we feel that Minamino would be a good option to start against Preston given the fact he hasn’t played that much but has shown he is capable of putting in a decent shift when given the chance as he did against Norwich.

In that match against the Canaries, in addition to scoring two goals, Minamino managed to earn himself an overall match rating of 8/10 from the Liverpool Echo who said that he was “always a danger” in the match, showing how useful he can be when called upon even though he hasn’t played regularly so far this season and how he could destroy Preston with his attacking talent on the pitch.

Liverpool signed Minamino, who has been described as “outstanding” by Jurgen Klopp in the past, back in December 2019 from Austrian club RB Salzburg after they triggered his £7.25m release clause.

Since joining the Merseyside club, the 26-year-old, who is currently valued at £10.8m according to Transfermarkt, has made just 33 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing two assists in the process.

Back in February, Minamino joined fellow Premier League side Southampton on a loan deal where he managed to net two goals in ten matches before returning to Merseyside.

Looking ahead to the Preston clash, we feel that this game could be another good opportunity for the £72k-per-week earner to show what he is capable of and why he deserves to be in the Liverpool squad rather than away on another loan deal.

In other news: Never mind Salah: “Intense” £90k-p/w LFC gem who made 2 key passes was vital yesterday – opinion

A number of Aston Villa fans have hit out at the performance of Matt Targett on social media in Sunday’s meeting with West Ham United at Villa Park. 

Dean Smith made four changes from the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal last time out, reverting to a back four with Kortney Hause, Jacob Ramsey, Marvelous Nakamba and Leon Bailey coming in for Tyrone Mings, Axel Tuanzebe, Douglas Luiz and Danny Ings.

However, it was Targett’s display which had a number of fans talking, and not for the right reasons either. The 26-year-old was making his 10th appearance of the campaign, playing in his usual left-back role.

Villa’s Players’ Player of the Year last season had an afternoon to forget, especially in the first half, as Smith’s side fell to a fourth consecutive defeat.

As per SofaScore, Targett lost the ball on 24 occasions – the most by any Villa player. He also misplaced seven long balls, failed to make an interception and made just one successful tackle as the Irons ran riot in the Midlands.

Villa fans react

Here is what these Villa supporters had to say about Targett on Twitter, with one labelling his performance as ‘useless’ and another comparing him unfavourably to the oft-criticised Tyrone Mings.

“Targett is the worst player in this team!”

Credit: @AvfcEnthusiast

“Targett is a horror show to watch this season”

Credit: @BuendiaBusiness

“Targett has been absolutely useless”

Credit: @NoseySurgeon

“Targett having a mare”

Credit: @Eoghan1011

“Targett was always the bigger issue than Mings”

Credit: @danielhavfc

“Targett looks like he’s forgotten what he’s supposed to do”

Credit: @AvfcU

In other news: Speaking to insiders: Big six club now weighing up expensive swoop for key Aston Villa man in 2022. 

Everton could be set for a big blow over the coming months after it was revealed Arsenal have set their sights on star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

What’s the word?

According to reports, the Gunners have identified the highly-rated 24-year-old as a possible replacement for wantaway forward Alexandre Lacazette.

The France international is expected to depart the north London outfit either in January or as a free agent next summer following the expiration of his current contract, and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has already begun the search for his successor.

He’s reportedly in the market for a young goalscorer with Premier League experience to continue his policy of building a new squad around youth, with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins the alternative target.

However, the Toffees are expected to put up a fight for Calvert-Lewin, with the report stating: “Ambitious Everton will fight tooth and nail to keep top scorer Calvert-Lewin, who has established himself as Harry Kane’s England back-up over the past year.

“He signed a long-term Goodison deal worth £75,000-a-week last year, and it would cost upwards of £50million to prise him away from Merseyside.”

Everton fans will be gutted

Calvert-Lewin has become a key player for Everton in recent seasons, scoring 32 Premier League goals in 72 appearances since the beginning of 2019/20.

Thus, losing their star striker and top scorer would be a seismic blow to any ambitions they have of qualifying for Europe next term.

His outstanding performances at club level have seen him become a regular member of Gareth Southgate’s England squad, where he’s the first-choice backup to captain Harry Kane.

Although he only made two substitute appearances throughout the summer as the Three Lions reached the Euro 2020 final, his presence as the only natural alternative to the Tottenham Hotspur star illustrates just how highly Calvert-Lewin is thought of.

The 6 foot 2 target man returned from his international exploits in emphatic form at the start of the current campaign, bagging a goal in each of Everton’s opening three top-flight fixtures before a broken toe sidelined him.

Calvert-Lewin’s departure would be a significant setback in the Goodison Park outfit’s plans under new manager Rafael Benitez, and the Spanish tactician will be hoping his key man remains on Merseyside for many years to come.

With Salomon Rondon struggling for goals, it only elevates the England international’s importance at Finch Farm; they simply have to keep him.

And, in other news…Report reveals exciting Everton transfer update, fans should be buzzing 

Everton have been linked with a move for Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette as new manager Rafa Benitez look to bolster his threadbare forward line.

What’s the story?

According to French outlet Jeunes Footeux, the Toffees are one of two Premier League sides eager to snap up the 30-year-old over the coming months, with West Ham United also credited with an interest.

The report states that: “Indeed, Everton and West Ham are closely following the situation of Alexandre Lacazette. Contacts would even exist between the various parties.

“The 30-year-old French striker, who earns just under €10m per season, will nevertheless have to lower his financial requirements so that an agreement can be found.”

Lacazette is set to be out of contract at the Emirates Stadium next summer, and with no new deal on the horizon, an imminent exit appears to be firmly on the cards, either over the winter window or as a free agent at the end of the season.

Rafa Benitez needs him

After rising through the ranks at boyhood club Lyon, Lazazette established himself as one of the most exciting forwards in Ligue 1 after making his senior debut back in 2010.

He bagged a remarkable 129 goals and provided a further 43 assists in just 275 appearances for Les Gones, helping them win the French Cup along the way.

The versatile forward’s remarkable form earned him a £46.5m move to Arsenal back in July 2017, a club-record fee for the north London outfit at the time, but he has arguably failed to live up to expectations in north London.

Despite scoring 68 goals and laying on a further 29 assists in 175 outings for the Gunners, Lacazette only has one FA Cup success to show for his efforts on English shores and has failed to fire the capital club back to the Champions League.

Nevertheless, his ability to put the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis has never been in doubt, and he showed against Crystal Palace last time out that he’s still a deadlier finisher as ever.

After Lacazette popped up with an injury-time equaliser against the Eagles, former Chelsea midfielder Andy Townsend said on Premier League Productions: “Give a lot of credit to Lacazette because he’s come on and made a difference.

“Arsenal keep the ball alive, and when the ball comes to Lacazette, he’s still got a bit to do to get it past Guaita, and it’s a sweet strike. Incredible.”

Therefore, Everton’s director of football, Marcel Brands, must swoop for the £19.8m-rated gem over the winter window, providing Benitez with the strength in depth he needs to push for European football this season.

And, in other news…“A decision to make” – Boyland drops claim that should leave Everton fans excited 

West Ham United boss David Moyes has confirmed a huge boost ahead of tonight’s Europa League group stage opener…

What’s the latest?

The Irons are about to embark on a historic campaign as they will be making their debut at this stage of the competition and they will do so with a fully fit squad at the 58-year-old’s disposal.

Speaking ahead of kickoff, via the club’s official website, the Scot said:

“We’ve got no injuries; we have everybody fit and available.

“I’ll look at it because we have a busy programme, but overall everybody is fit and available and we’re really looking forward to it. We’re pleased to be on the road, and I think we’re all excited about being here.

“We’ve got a lot of people who we can make changes with, but we’re also trying to make sure that we choose and pick [teams] the right way if we can, and get the selection correct.”

Huge boost

Considering the injury troubles that Moyes and the squad had to deal with last season, this is massively encouraging news and could be crucial in the long run as the starting XI will need to be rotated regularly in the coming months.

The Hammers will be playing two games per week for the foreseeable future and it’s unreasonable to expect the same line-up to feature in every match.

For example, the east Londoners remain unbeaten in the Premier League and face table-topping Manchester United on Sunday afternoon, so Moyes will surely have one eye on that game, whilst also wanting to get off to the perfect start in Europe.

He must find the right balance and after some shrewd acquisitions during the summer transfer window, he does now appear to be well-equipped right across the pitch, barring up front where it still is only Michail Antonio.

The 31-year-old is likely to get a run-out this evening as he’ll be suspended for the visit of the Red Devils at the weekend, so that’s another boost in itself as Moyes will be able to call upon his in-form talisman.

“Mich might’ve been someone we’d have considered leaving out, but I think with the situation being the way it is at the moment, I don’t think we’ll do that,” the boss revealed.

The travelling West Ham faithful should be absolutely buzzing with this news as it means they’ll get to witness a full-strength side go to battle in a European group stage for the very first time in their history.

Towards the back end of last season, Moyes lost players like Antonio, Declan Rice and Aaron Cresswell to injury, so to have them all fit and available is certainly a huge boost to their chances of delivering the goods in Croatia.

AND in other news, Forget Benrahma: Moyes must unleash “first-class” West Ham gem, could be game-changing…