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Mark Warburton’s Queens Park Rangers attacking midfielder, Ilias Chair, is attracting a significant amount of interest ahead of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Athletic, who claim that all four of Watford, Anderlecht, Club Brugge, Bologna and Genoa are keen on a move for the £3.6 million-rated 23-year-old in the upcoming transfer market.

It is reported that Watford’s interest is particularly strong, although Xisco Munoz’s side are not thought to be preparing an offer for the 23-year-old at present.

Bhatia must not sell

So far this season, Chair has been in excellent form over his 45 Championship appearances for Mark Warburton’s side, bagging eight goals, registering four assists and creating seven big chances, as well as making an average of 1.6 key passes and taking 1.9 shots per game, culminating in an average SofaScore match rating of 7.04 – ranking him as QPR’s joint fourth-best performer in the second tier.

As a result of this fine form, the Rs tied Chair down to a new four-and-half-year deal at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium back in January, with the Morocco U23 international now reported to be earning £7,100-per-week until the summer of 2025.

However, despite the fact that this contract means Amit Bhatia could demand a relatively high transfer fee for the midfielder this summer, it is crucial that the club retains the services of Chair beyond the upcoming transfer window, in order to provide Warburton with the best possible chance of mounting a push for promotion in QPR’s next league campaign.

Furthermore, despite the fact that the youngster has returned a tremendous amount of goals and assists this season, considering he is still only 23-years-old very much helps to form the argument that Chair still has much improving to do as he matures as a footballer, opening the possibility of QPR earning a higher fee for the midfielder further down the line.

As such, it would appear highly advisable that Bhatia should do all he can to reject the advances of any potential suitors for Chair this summer.

In other news: Get him gone: Warburton must axe £7k-p/w QPR flop this summer, fans have had enough – opinion

When Kyril Louis-Dreyfus walked through the door as Sunderland’s proud new owner, there was a huge sigh of relief from many supporters.

After all, Stewart Donald’s time at the club was marked with overspending and, ultimately, a failure to get promoted.

It was the perfect Christmas present for the Mackems, as Louis-Dreyfus was announced late on 24th December.

Since he entered the Stadium of Light, he has had some very clear policies. One of them has been to improve the club’s academy and the pathway to senior level.

With the likes of Sam Greenwood, Bali Mumba and Joe Hugill all exiting the northeast in recent years, it’s led to an unhealthy academy. The under-23s didn’t win a single game last term, for instance.

However, we are already seeing the fruits of the new owner’s labour. In the Papa John’s Trophy final, young talents Dan Neil, Benji Kimpioka, Jack Diamond and Ollie Younger all appeared on the bench.

Diamond has received plenty of minutes this term but we believe Younger is now ready for a few more opportunities.

The 21-year-old played three times during the Black Cats’ run to Wembley in the EFL Trophy and has recently earned his league debut. That came in a 2-0 win over Rochdale, a match where Younger didn’t really put a foot wrong.

Traditionally a centre-half, the academy gem played at right-back on that occasion. Younger didn’t look out of place, winning 50% of his defensive duels and completing 80% of his passes. The defender also helped his side to record a clean sheet.

Speaking before that game, Lee Johnson waxed lyrical about the youngster, saying: “I do trust Ollie Younger, I think he is a great kid.

“I haven’t seen him enough in games yet to know whether he can handle that situation, but as a personality and in terms of his performances in training, he has been really impressive.”

With defensive injuries still plaguing the Sunderland squad – Jordan Willis, Bailey Wright and Tom Flanagan are all out – he should be entrusted more often.

That starts with the clash against Bristol Rovers on Saturday. They currently sit in the relegation zone, so on paper it’s a good match in which to trust Younger.

AND in other news, Sunderland must swoop for £1.2k-p/w “danger in the box”, he’s shades of Bergkamp…

Manchester City’s hopes of completing a historic quadruple are still alive as they prepare to face Everton in the FA Cup quarter-final on Saturday evening.

Pep Guardiola’s side travel to Goodison Park hoping to secure a place at Wembley for the semi-finals with a win against Carlo Ancelotti’s Toffees.

The Merseyside outfit have suffered back-to-back losses against Chelsea and Burnley recently, whilst the Citizens are on an unbelievable run which has seen them win 24 of their last 25 games in all competitions, which included a 3-1 triumph at Goodison Park in February.

With all of his players back fit, Guardiola is likely to rotate from the side which beat Borussia Monchengladbach in midweek, although he will still obviously want a strong side out to continue City’s impressive form in the FA Cup in recent years.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects the manager to line his side up on Saturday, with five changes from the side which started in Hungary…

Although Zack Steffen featured in earlier rounds, it seems likely that Ederson will keep his place in goal ahead of the American for a game of this importance for City.

There are two changes in defence, as Oleksandr Zinchenko comes in for Kyle Walker, with Joao Cancelo moving to right-back after featuring on the left in midweek. John Stones is handed a rest with Aymeric Laporte replacing him at centre-back alongside Ruben Dias.

Fernandinho has shown his qualities in recent months and deserves a start ahead of Rodri in midfield, where he is partnered by Ilkay Gundogan.

Riyad Mahrez starred on City’s last trip to Goodison Park so he keeps his place on the right-hand side, with Bernardo Silva, who reportedly earns £150,000 per week at City, dropping out to welcome Raheem Sterling back in on the left.

Finally, Gabriel Jesus replaces Phil Foden and offers City a more natural centre-forward option up front, although the Brazilian has the added pressure of a fit Sergio Aguero waiting in the wings to replace him, so hopefully he can start scoring goals on a more regular basis.

In other news… Forget Haaland: Txiki should swoop for “outstanding” £100m-rated maestro

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Marlon Harewood, who scored 54 goals for West Ham United, believes Jarrod Bowen is good enough to play as a striker in Michail Antonio’s absence.

West Ham were rocked by a huge injury blow to their only striker, Antonio, when he limped off during their 3-2 win against Wolves, with reports claiming he could miss the remainder of the season.

Since Antonio’s injury however, West Ham have not faltered in front of goal as they’ve found the back of the net five times, with three of them coming from on-loan midfielder Jesse Lingard.

Speaking on why Moyes will not struggle without Antonio and if Bowen is good enough to play as a striker, Harewood told FFC:

“Yeah I definitely think he’s good enough. I think they had a little bit of rotation amongst each other against Leicester, which is good because they’ve got three midfielders that can play in that role.

“It’s not just Jarrod who has to play there because he likes to go wide and get at players as well. So they’ve got others who can fill that spot.”

Bowen arrived in January on deadline day last season for £20 million and he’s taken to life in the Premier League seamlessly with eight goals and five assists in the league this season.

West Ham currently have six games left to play in the league and only lie outside of the Champions League places on goal difference from Chelsea.

Crystal Palace have been linked with a potential summer switch for Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher.

The youngster, currently on-loan at West Bromwich Albion, is reportedly being considered for a summer move to Selhurst Park according to The Express.

The 21-year-old would be the perfect arrival to regenerate and rejuvenate an ageing Palace squad.

At the current time in the Premier League, Roy Hodgson possesses, on average, the oldest squad with an average age of 28.8 months. As a matter of fact, a whopping 13 players in the current squad are over the age of 30, a huge reason as to why the Eagles desperately need some younger recruits.

Gallagher is exactly what the club need then, should he elect to leave Chelsea.

He has impressed in his debut Premier League season with the Baggies having also caught the eye in previous loan spells with Charlton Athletic and Swansea City.

So far this season, the central midfielder has made 22 appearances in the league, racking up two goals and two assists. As a matter of fact, only current Baggies top scorer Matheus Pereira has been more productive than Gallagher this season in what has been a thoroughly forgettable campaign for the club.

One of the bright sparks, his adaptation and trajectory have been noticed, too, with former boss Slaven Bilic admitting that the youngster is “going to be big”.

Despite that, he may find it tough to break through at parent club Chelsea considering the immense competition he’d have in midfield positions including from fellow academy graduate Mason Mount, meaning a move could benefit his career.

Rated at just £9m at the current time, Gallagher looks to have the talent, and also potential, to give a spark to a declining Crystal Palace side.

His arrival is one that chairman Steve Parish should certainly look to prioritise in the summer.

AND in more news, take a look at our closer analysis of Wilfried Zaha’s poor return to the Palace squad against Spurs…

Napoli could part ways with manager Walter Mazzarri before the club's Champions League clash against Barcelona on Wednesday.

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• Napoli could sack Mazzarri before Barcelona clash
• Won just five times in 16 games under Mazzarri
• Slovakia coach Calzona tipped to be next manager

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Since taking charge of the club in November from Rudi Garcia, Walter Mazzarri managed to guide Napoli to just five wins in 16 matches across all competitions. On Saturday, the reigning Serie A champions scored a late goal to hold Genoa to a 1-1 draw.

  Now journalist reports that the club are "seriously considering" sacking Mazzarri and the Italian coach's exit could even come before they take on Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League round of 16 clash on Wednesday.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The journalist further claims that The Blues have already contacted Slovakia national team coach Francesco Calzona who is likely to replace the Italian coach at the helm. Calzona, who had formerly worked at Napoli as an assistant to Maurizio Sarri and Luciano Spalletti, would then manage the Italian side and The Falcons simultaneously.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Jose Mourinho was strongly linked with the Napoli job after he parted ways with AS Roma last month, although the move never materialised. Some reports suggested that the Portuguese coach was supposed to meet club president Aurelio De Laurentiis to discuss a potential move.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR NAPOLI?

  It remains to be seen if Mazzarri will sit on the bench for the club's upcoming European clash against the Catalan giants. After facing the reigning Spanish champions, the Blues will take on Cagliari in the Serie A on February 25.

The two legendary attackers made a massive statement in what will be remembered as a legendary win over their arch-rivals.

It was the moment we've all been waiting for. From the minute that Luis Suarez arrived to play alongside Lionel Messi again, you were just waiting for them to inevitably turn back the clocks. They connected so many times during their years at Barcelona; how long would it take for them to put in a signature performance in Inter Miami pink?

The answer, as it turned out, was three MLS matches. The two were held largely quiet all preseason and had shown flashes in their first two games of this season, but, Saturday was a lot more of a flash; it was an explosion.

Suarez scored two and assisted two more in Inter Miami's 5-0 win over Orlando City, while Messi joined him on the scoresheet with a brace of his own. It was a dominant day for the ex-Barcelona duo, who sent a big message to the rest of MLS; they've arrived.

They weren't the only standouts, even if they were the two main ones. Jordi Alba set up a goal, too. Robert Taylor was back on the scoresheet, showing some of that late-2023 form.

New signing Nicolas Freire looked plenty comfortable in defense in his first Inter Miami start.

This one was all about Messi and Suarez, though. In this kind of form, they may just be unstoppable. The rest of MLS has just been reminded of that fact as Inter Miami looks like a team that is finally ready to play.

GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Chase Stadium…

Watch Inter Miami with the MLS Season PassStream now

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  Goalkeeper & Defense

  Drake Callender (6/10):

  Didn't have too much to do. Could have been a bit cleaner when in the ball, but that's some nitpicking.

  Jordi Alba (7/10):

  Broke through in a big way to set up the fourth. Unlucky not to get the goal due to Robin Janssen's ridiculous clearance off the crossbar.

  Tomas Aviles (7/10):

  Rock solid. Looked very good next to his new centerback partner.

  Nicolas Freire (6/10):

  Feels like he makes an immediate difference. Provides a bit more pace than Serhiy Kryvstov and looked totally comfortable in this first start.

  DeAndre Yedlin (7/10):

  Didn't get forward much, but didn't have to. Helped hold down the right-hand side with ease.

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  Midfield

  Diego Gomez (6/10):

  The least effective of the midfield three, which is fine given how solid he was in the first two games.

  Sergio Busquets (6/10):

  Miami's midfield completely bypassed Orlando's all day, even without Busquets at his best. A scary, scary sight.

  Julian Gressel (9/10):

  This is what Inter Miami thought they were signing. Gressel was actively bad the first two games, but this performance showed what he can bring to a midfield. His two assists headline his performance, but this was a complete effort from a player who really can change a game.

• USA Today Sports
  

  Attack

  Robert Taylor (7/10):

  Got his goal in the 29th minute, but was totally overshadowed by his two superstar strikemates. A very good game overall, though.

  Luis Suarez (10/10):

  We don't throw 10s around lightly, but when you do what Suarez did, you earn one. Absolutely dominated the game, scoring two and assisting two more. Could have had a few more goals, too, putting down any concerns about his fitness.

  Lionel Messi (9/10):

  While the first half was the Suarez show, Messi claimed the second half as his own. His first was a bit fortunate while his second was an uncharacteristically good header, capping a big day for the Argentine star.

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  Subs & Manager

  Leonardo Campana (6/10):

  Came on to replace Suarez, who can use all the rest he can get. Sting was way out of the game by then, though.

  David Ruiz (6/10):

  Provided the fresh legs needed in midfield. Passed the ball well and popped up with decent moments both in attack and defense.

  Serhiy Kryvtsov (6/10):

  Defense didn't miss a beat once he came on in the 78th minute.

  Noah Allen (5/10):

  Similar to Kryvtsov, although he loses a point for a needless yellow card.

  Jena Mota (N/A):

  Only had a few touches of the ball.

  Tata Martino (8/10):

  Got everything right and gave Suarez some rest ahead of Thursday. Only question mark is if he should have taken Messi and Busquets out earlier, too.

Erik ten Hag did not hold back his frustration at Manchester United No.9 Anthony Martial's abject performance against Newcastle.

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• Ten Hag seen shouting at Martial from touchline
• Frenchman replaced by Hojlund after 60 minutes
• Time running out for Martial at Old Trafford

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The United boss cut a visibly-irritated figure on the touchline as he flailed his arms in the direction of his striker. Ten Hag, who was clearly attempting to rouse some fighting spirit from Martial, was left disappointed as the forward failed to impose himself on the game. He was eventually replaced by Rasmus Hojlund on the hour mark.

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• DID YOU KNOW

  The incident in question occurred during the first half. Martial bit back at his manager after being criticised, with TNT Sports pundit Jermaine Jenas claiming that the disagreement speaks to the current atmosphere at Old Trafford. "This seems to be the culture at the moment. A lot of arms raising, a lot of blaming one another and no cohesiveness," Jenas said during the interval.

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  Newcastle overwhelmed their opponents for the majority of the game – often outworking and outrunning a tepid Manchester United. Martial's performance typified the United performance as a whole as they struggled to assert any control in a boisterous St James' Park. The striker is yet to complete a full 90 minutes this season and it does not appear that he will any time soon. £72 million ($91.4m) Rasmus Hojlund replaced the Frenchman but was also unable to offer United any real attacking outlet. Desperate for any attacking verve to spark their season into life, Ten Hag will likely be on the hunt for another new striker in January.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR TEN HAG AND MARTIAL?

  Lots has been documented already about Ten Hag falling out with his players, however few can blame him for losing his temper at Martial. The Frenchman's naturally-languid style does not help, but it is hard to imagine Martial will be in Manchester much longer. Ten Hag needs a result against Chelsea on Wednesday to keep the pressure on his own back at bay.

Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are set to fight it out for Lille's centre-back Leny Yoro, with Manchester United also in the mix.

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• European giants interested in wonderkid Yoro
• Agent Jorge Mendes will be key to transfer
• Lille set €60m price tag on defender

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The upcoming summer transfer market is already heating up, and one of the hottest prospects attracting attention is the 18-year-old central defender from Lille. With the Kylian Mbappe transfer saga still dragging on between Madrid and PSG, the focus now shifts to Yoro, who has been dubbed as one of the most promising talents in European football.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to Madrid have been monitoring Yoro for months and the technical staff of Los Blancos hold the young centre-back in high regard. Meanwhile, PSG had already attempted to secure his services in the previous winter window, but Yoro opted to remain at Lille until the end of the current season.

  However, PSG face a significant obstacle in their pursuit of Yoro: Lille's reluctance to sell to a direct competitor like the Parisians, with whom they have strained relations. Lille's president, Olivier Letang, favours selling Yoro to an overseas club rather than PSG, given the history between the two clubs. However, the player's agent, Jorge Mendes, has a strong relationship with PSG's sporting advisor, Luis Campos which could tilt the scales in favour of the reigning Ligue 1 champions.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Lille has reportedly set Yoro's price tag at €60 million (£51m/$65m), a significant rise from the €20m (£17m/$21.56m) at the beginning of the season. However, Lille's negotiating position has weakened as talks for Yoro's contract renewal have allegedly stalled and his current deal expires in 2025. Amidst this backdrop, Manchester United have also expressed interest in Yoro, further intensifying the competition for his signature.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  As the summer transfer window approaches, the battle for Yoro's services is expected to escalate, with Lille facing the prospect of losing their prized asset to one of Europe's elite clubs. In the short term, Yoro will be in action against Le Havre in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

Everton have been handed a massive boost ahead of their clash with West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.

Although they will be missing the services of James Rodriguez again, they will be able to welcome back one of their key players from a promising campaign.

Carlo Ancelotti was speaking late this week about his team’s chances at the London Stadium and confirmed that Abdoulaye Doucoure was fit again.

He said: “He is really important. He showed fantastic quality and has supported the team a lot when he played.

“It was a great surprise for us to have this type of player. He put a lot of energy into the midfield and to have him back for the next game will be really important.”

Ancelotti concluded: “Without him, we have had more problems. He is one of the most important players we had and he has been a really good signing. I hope he can show his quality in the last games we have before the end.”

The Frenchman has been absent for seven games now dating back to March 4th. The £120k-per-week earner has been missing as a result of a small fracture in his foot.

Everton posted pictures of the midfield general back in full training this week which represents a huge advantage to their chances on Sunday.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-everton-transfer-news-coutinho-ancelotti-hawng-sarr” title=”Read the latest Everton transfer news!”]

The Toffees have been missing some muscle in the middle of the park without him with Andre Gomes struggling following his own return to injury.

The Portuguese was lumped off shortly after the hour mark against Arsenal and then won just two of his nine defensive duels in the defeat to Aston Villa last weekend.

Ancelotti appears to be buzzing that his combative midfield player is back and you can hardly blame him.

Prior to his two-month-long injury, the 28-year-old had only missed one league game all season after arriving from Watford for a fee of £20m.

Against a free-flowing West Ham side, having Doucoure back is absolutely vital. He and Allan will have a huge job on their hands if they are to stop the effervescent Jesse Lingard.

AND in other news, Imagine him & DCL: Everton must swoop for £24.9m gem who gives oppo “sleepless nights”…