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According to BBC Football, Arsenal are closing in on the club-record signing of Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette.

The report states that the Gunners have already had a bid rejected for the 26-year-old, but that talks are progressing well between the two clubs and a deal is likely to go through.

It would be a welcome boost for manager Arsene Wenger following their fifth-place finish in the Premier League last season, which means they won’t be participating in the Champions League next term.

Lacazette certainly arrives with some brilliant goalscoring pedigree too having netted 37 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions for the Ligue 1 outfit during the previous campaign.

Arsenal supporters were quick to have their say on the potential arrival of the France international via social media, and while some believe he will be a great addition to the team, others are concerned as to why none of their rivals have bid for him.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

As reported by The Scottish Sun, Celtic are on the verge of completing a major bit of transfer business this week with a move for Manchester City prospect Olivier Ntcham.

What’s the story?

After signing Jonny Hayes and Kunda Benyu, Celtic have already made moves in the transfer window so far this summer but the deal that is potentially about to be completed is a level of spending above those acquisitions.

The Scottish Sun say the Hoops are ready to spend £4m on Olivier Ntcham and the deal is very close to being completed with the player even having a medical on Saturday night.

While the UEFA Champions League registration deadline for their 2nd Qualifying Round tie against Linfield has passed, they have the opportunity to register one more player as a wildcard and The Scottish Sun say Ntcham could be that man.

It’s a major boost to the squad, with the highly-rated youngster well placed to challenge for a first team spot.

Who is he?

Still just 21 years of age, Ntcham isn’t the finished product but is regarded as one of the brightest French prospects in his age group. He joined Manchester City at the age of 16 and although he hasn’t gained any first-team experience at the Etihad, he’s spent the last two seasons gaining vital experience on loan at Serie A side Genoa.

He made 41 appearances for the Italian club but now looks set to take his career to the next level with a move to a bonafide UEFA Champions League club.

He’s represented France in six age groups an is an U21 international teammate of a certain Moussa Dembele.

A midfielder who has the power and pace to be an effective defensive presence, he also has the ability to drive forward and bring the ball into the final third and Hoops fans will be hoping he has the eye for a final pass in the Scottish Premiership.

The reported £4m is no small fee for Celtic so they must be confident about his ability and that alone is exciting for supporters.

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According to recent reports from Mirror Football, Stoke City are one of three Premier League clubs eyeing Leeds United striker Chris Wood as a potential summer signing.

The New Zealand international ended last season as the Championship’s top scorer, almost firing the Whites to the playoffs with 27 goals in 44 outings.

With Marko Arnautovic moving on and Saido Berahino yet to deliver, signing Wood would theoretically give Stoke some much-needed venom up front for the coming campaign.

But the Premier League remains a significant step up from the second tier and plenty of players have failed to make that leap down the years – especially strikers.

With that in mind, we asked Stoke fans earlier this week whether their club should swoop for Wood and although the result of our poll was by no means conclusive, the majority of Potters fans – 56% – voted in the 6 foot 3 striker’s favour.

Which side of the debate do you stand on, Stoke fans? Let us know by commenting below…

When not much is known about a player a manager of Jose Mourinho’s ilk is prepared to spend over £30million on, they usually arrive at their new clubs with an exciting allure – the assumption being that they’re a diamond in the rough destined for greatness, unearthed by some Mourinho-appointed scout.

That’s how many felt about Victor Lindelof when he arrived at Old Trafford earlier this summer, having not seen an abundance of evidence of his form for Benfica here in England. Well, Manchester United fans finally got the chance to see the somewhat unknown Sweden international in competitive action last night and it’s safe to say, the 23-year-old doesn’t seem all he’s cracked up to be.

Of course, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Real Madrid are the best side in the world and the first team ever to claim consecutive Champions League titles. Even Atletico Madrid and Juventus – the two best defensive teams in Europe – couldn’t contain the Los Blancos attack last season.

But even so, it spoke volumes that Lindelof’s centre-back partner for the evening and one of the players he’s expected to replace in United’s habitual starting XI, Chris Smalling, outperformed him on virtually every statistical front, namely tackles, interceptions, clearances, aerial duels won, touches, passes and passing accuracy.

In fact, the England international was arguably United’s best player in a largely disappointing display for Jose Mourinho’s side that had them on the back foot for much of the ninety minutes, getting Lindelof out of trouble on a number of occasions.

Eric Bailly looks almost certain to come back into Mourinho’s starting XI when West Ham come to Old Trafford in the first Premier League fixture this weekend, with United 2/7 on with 888sport in the football betting markets, having missed the European Super Cup through suspension. But Smalling and Lindelof’s polarised performances have created a question mark over who should partner Bailly on Sunday. Let us know who you’d pick by voting below…

For some fans, the international break can be a dull affair. There’s no top-flight action, often the fixtures are uninspiring and nothing quite beats seeing your team play at home at 3pm on a Saturday.For Liverpool fans this weekend though there was certainly some excitement, with youngster Ben Woodburn delighting fans. His fairytale rise to the top continued on Saturday night when he scored on his international debut for Wales.It wasn’t just a meaningless goal though, it was the winning goal in an World Cup Qualification match and an absolute belter from disatance too. The effort gave the Welsh a 1-0 win over Austria, delighting his nation but also his club supporters.Liverpool fans know all about what Woodburn can do on debuts, he scored in his first match for the Reds too. There’s a lot of hype surrounding his future and what he could be capable of and this goal is just the latest chapter in his story.Fans took to Twitter to enthuse about the young attacker, with some even comparing him to a certain Philippe Coutinho…

With West Ham’s transfer pursuit of William Carvalho reportedly falling through, the Hammers have just a matter of hours remaining to address a clear weakness in central midfield before tonight’s 11pm deadline.

At this point in the summer window, options are a little thin on the ground, but there still appears to be two potentially within the east London outfit’s reach.

While The Independent reported earlier today that the Irons are considering a loan move for Arsenal’s ever-injured midfielder Jack Wilshere, London Evening Standard have since declared the club are working hard to sign Barcelona’s Andre Gomes – seemingly surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp – in what would be another loan deal.

The 25-cap Portugal international measures in at 6 foot 2 and lifted the European Championship title with his country last summer. But Wilshere, who Transfermarkt value at £16.2million, is far more experienced in the English game and we all know how effective the playmaking midfielder can be when fully fit.

So, West Ham fans, which midfielder should your club sign on loan? Let us know by voting below…

Sorry folks this poll is now closed!

Aston Villa picked up their first away win since March and just their second victory of the current Championship season as they beat Barnsley 3-0 at Oakwell on Saturday, and Villa fans were particularly impressed with two-goal hero Albert Adomah.

The winger had played just 117 minutes of league football this term going into the clash against the Tykes, but Steve Bruce opted to start him on the left-hand side in Yorkshire.

The 29-year-old took just 19 minutes to make an impact as he took advantage of an error by Adam Davies to tap into an empty net, while he showed great composure to score from the penalty spot just before half-time when Keinan Davis was fouled.

Aston Villa supporters were quick to have their say on Adomah’s performance via social media, with one claiming that he is “one of the best players” Villa have.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

According to an interview he has done with The Independent, former Leeds United striker Chris Wood has denied that he refused to play in the club’s match against Sunderland prior to his move to Burnley in August, but Whites fans aren’t impressed with his latest comments.

The New Zealand international has scored three goals in seven games for the Clarets following his £18m move to Turf Moor in August, but he spoke to The Independent to clear up what happened on his Elland Road exit more than six weeks ago.

The 25-year-old says that while the deal went through two days after the clash at the Stadium of Light, the initial agreement came 24 hours before the Championship fixture and one of the stipulations was that the Premier League outfit didn’t want him to face the Black Cats.

Leeds supporters were quick to take to social media to have their say on the matter, and while some told him to “stop lying”, others were left wondering why he is talking about the club more than six weeks after he left.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Chelsea have been left sweating on the status of N’Golo Kante this weekend after the player appeared to suffer a hamstring injury while on international duty with France this weekend.As reported by The Sun, the injury is serious enough to have automatically ruled him out of France’s final qualifier on Tuesday, but the full extent of the damage is not yet known.Regardless, it’s a massive worry for Chelsea fans who know how important the midfielder is to Antonio Conte’s team and their ambitions of silverware this season.The Frenchman played every minute of their title-winning campaign last term, providing a real defensive solidity in the middle of the park that made the Blues almost unstoppable at times.With huge matches coming up in the league and UEFA Champions League, it’s possibly the worst time possible to see the player out of action, especially as Alvaro Morata is also on the sidelines.Fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on his injury…

Former Everton striker Tony Cottee has claimed that Ronald Koeman’s failure to sign a centre-forward during the summer cost him his job at Goodison Park.

The Toffees confirmed on Monday that Koeman had been relieved of his duties at the Merseyside club following a difficult start to the 2017-18 campaign.

Indeed, Sunday’s 5-2 defeat at home to Arsenal left the club down in 18th position in the Premier League table, having collected just eight points from nine matches.

Cottee, who turned out for Everton between 1988 and 1994, has said that Koeman’s decision not to replace Romelu Lukaku during the summer ultimately cost him his position.

Lukaku, now with Manchester United, managed 25 Premier League goals for Everton last season, but the team have only scored seven times in their nine league matches this term.

Cottee told Sky Sports:

“I’m not surprised. It’s been what you can only call a disaster for the club and that followed on from huge expectations after an awful lot of money was spent by the football club.

“They lost [Romelu] Lukaku, that was a big blow, but there’s been an awful lot of money spent. The one thing they didn’t do, and this has been their biggest problem, they didn’t replace Lukaku. Who is going to score the goals?”

Everton have not tasted victory in any competition since beating Bournemouth 2-1 in the Premier League on September 23.

Since then, the Toffees have lost three of their five matches, including a 2-1 defeat to Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday night.