Newcastle United are now showing an interest in signing Blackburn Rovers defender Ashley Phillips, who will be available for just £2m when his release clause kicks in this Friday, according to a report from The Sun.

Who is Ashley Phillips signing for?

Reports from earlier this month indicated that Phillips was closing in on a move to Tottenham Hotspur, with journalist Charlie Eccleshare saying:

"Tottenham set to sign highly-rated 18yo centre-back Ashley Phillips from Blackburn for around £3 million. Understood it won't affect Spurs' plans to try and sign at least one senior CB. Phillips expected to have medical in next 24 hours before hopefully joining the tour."

However, there has been little progress since that point, and now The Sun are reporting that Newcastle could make a late move to sign the 18-year-old, with Blackburn still hoping to receive £9.45m if they are to sanction his departure.

Tottenham's stand-off with Blackburn is set to come to an end this week, as a £2m release clause kicks in this Friday, which would allow Ange Postecoglou to snap up the youngster for a heavily reduced fee.

However, Spurs are waiting to see whether Blackburn find another buyer before that point, with the Magpies showing an interest, although they are yet to make an offer above what their Premier League rivals are currently willing to pay.

As such, a move to north London appears to be the most likely outcome at the moment, however there is still time for Eddie Howe to make a late swoop and hijack the Lilywhites' deal, if he is willing to outbid them.

For now, the Blackburn defender is set to continue training ahead of the Championship opener against West Bromwich Albion, but he is unlikely to be risked in games in case of injury.

Who is Ashley Phillips?

Despite the fact he is just 18-years-old, the youngster has already started to gain some first-team experience with his current club, making 14 appearances for the Rovers, including eight in the Championship during the 2022/23 campaign.

The youngster has predominantly played at centre-back throughout his short career so far, where his 6 foot 4 frame would undoubtedly be useful for Newcastle, and former manager Tony Mowbray has also praised his ability in possession, saying:

"He's 6ft 4', he's fast, mobile and can pass it really well. He can use both feet, he's composed. Ash is just a phenomenal young boy; if you were to create a defender in the mould of how you would want one, this kid has got every attribute."

It is still very early days for the Blackburn starlet, given that he only turned 18 last month, but he is showing all the signs that he could go on to be a top player in the future, and it is exciting news that Newcastle are still in with a chance of signing him.

That said, Tottenham appear to be in pole position at the moment, and the Magpies will need to move swiftly if they are going to hijack the deal for Phillips.

The teenager could be worth a push from Newcastle, though, given his clear potential to be a brilliant defender.

Chelsea are thought to be back in talks over a move to sign Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

What’s the latest Chelsea transfer news?

The Blues have once again been busy in the transfer market after spending over €600m on new players during the 2022/23 campaign.

Mauricio Pochettino is the new man in charge at Stamford Bridge, and the Argentine has brought in Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson and Angelo from RB Leipzig, Villarreal and Santos respectively.

Nkunku’s arrival was already in the pipeline before Pochettino was named as manager, however further additions look to be on the cards before the September 1 deadline in what looks likely to be a busy month both on and off the pitch.

Read The Latest Chelsea Transfer News HERE…

Chelsea are believed to have agreed a deal to sign Rennes midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu, although it is yet to be decided whether the 19-year-old will go into Pochettino's squad or go out on loan.

Meanwhile, a £38m deal has been agreed with Monaco to sign France defender Axel Disasi, and Romano has revealed that the Blues have also made a formal bid to sign goalkeeper Robert Sanchez from Brighton.

Alongside the pair, another new attacker could be on the cards in Vlahovic, as owner Todd Boehly once again goes into transfer overdrive.

Are Chelsea signing Dusan Vlahovic?

Romano took to Twitter in the last 48 hours to share an update he's heard on Vlahovic and Chelsea. He said that talks are back on through intermediaries, with a swap deal involving Blues striker Romelu Lukaku being spoken about.

“Chelsea are now back in talks again with Juventus through intermediaries — swap deal between Romelu Lukaku & Dusan Vlahovic has been discussed again.

“Chelsea will discuss Vlahovic internally as this option has been rejected in July.”

This isn’t the first time Chelsea have been linked with a move for Vlahovic, with journalist Dean Jones previously stating that conversations have already happened.

"I know some people are ruling out of Vlahovic and they say that nothing is happening there. But Vlahovic has definitely been explored by Chelsea and conversations have definitely happened in terms of that.

"The fact that they are even contemplating that, tells you they're tempted to go and sign another striker by the end of this transfer window."

Vlahovic, on a £215,000-a-week salary in Turin, has been dubbed a “goal machine” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig. The Serbia international is just 23 years of age but has already made over 170 appearances in all competitions for Fiorentina and Juventus, scoring 72 goals.

The left-footed forward also has 13 goals in 21 games for his country, so he could be the kind of striker Chelsea have been crying out for to potentially play alongside the likes of Nkunku and Jackson, especially after being named among the most powerful players in Europe alongside PSG's Kylian Mbappe and Manchester City's Erling Haaland last year.

It looks as if a move could well be one to keep an eye on, and if Chelsea can use Lukaku in a deal, a transfer may not end up costing the Blues Vlahovic’s reported €80m asking price.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo terá uma importante baixa para a sequência do Campeonato Brasileiro. O clube de General Severiano informou, neste sábado, que Luiz Fernando foi negociado por empréstimo com o Grêmio até o fim do Campeonato Brasileiro.

Luiz Fernando não estará à disposição do treinador Paulo Autuori para a partida contra o Flamengo, neste domingo, às 11h, no Maracanã, e já viaja à Porto Alegre para se apresentar ao Imortal Tricolor.

Luiz Fernando chegou ao Botafogo no começo de 2018 após se destacar no ano anterior pelo Atlético-GO. Na atual temporada, o atacante fez 13 jogos, marcando dois gols e dando três assistências.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers have had a difficult summer to put it lightly, with the club unable to spend and bidding farewell to former manager Julen Lopetegui just five days before the start of the 2023/24 campaign.

An opening day trip to Old Trafford in the Premier League looked to be a disaster in the making for the Old Gold, however, with newly appointed boss Gary O’Neil at the helm, there was an element of surprise at the calibre of Wolves’ performance.

Losing by extremely fine margins and dominating in the final third, there were plenty of encouraging signs to take from the fixture, but the issue remains that the side struggle to score and are short on numbers.

Will Wolves sign anyone this summer?

Adhering to Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules has consumed the Midlands side during the transfer window, with a host of sales made and no room to manoeuvre replacements for those departed.

The club have been linked to a host of talent, with all rumours ending far from a player landing at Molineux, with the closest chase being that of Alex Scott, who recently signed for Bournemouth as Wolves failed to accumulate the £25m asking price.

Despite such disappointment, O’Neil must make the best out of an unfortunate, but unchangeable financial situation, with plenty of exciting players and prospects already on the books to work with.

One name that could be like a new signing for the former Cherries manager is Fabio Silva, who is now not expected to leave the club this summer despite earlier speculation.

How good is Fabio Silva?

Signed by Wolves in 2020 from Porto, the young talent made his first appearance for the Old Gold on Monday night since May 2022, coming on as a substitute against Manchester United.

The forward has endeavoured on two loan spells since beginning his association with the Midlands club, representing both Anderlecht and most recently PSV to gain valuable experience.

At 21, now could be the time for the youngster to break through in England, with Express and Star journalist Liam Keen relaying that the Old Gold are “not interested in selling or loaning” the centre-forward.

Considering the task in hand for O’Neil to encourage his new squad to put the ball in the net, the emergence of Silva could come at the perfect time with the player hungry to prove himself at his parent club.

A cameo at Old Trafford could be the start of an exciting period for the youngster at Molineux, who has had the time away to mature and understand his own game on a better level, ready to compete in the Premier league.

The Portugal U21 international spent half of last season in Belgium at Anderlecht, and the other half with PSV in the Eredivisie, scoring a total of 16 goals over the 2022/23 season.

Once hailed as a “genius” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, the dynamic forward showed how prolific he can be when in his stride, scoring four goals in five Eredivisie starts for PSV and seven goals in 16 starts in the Jupiler Pro League.

The 21-year-old’s experience in leading the line during last term’s loan spells was translated in his 13-minute cameo against United, where he earned a 7.20 match rating, registering three shots, with two of which being on target, via Sofascore.

If the £42k-per-week talent can find his stride under O’Neil, his welcoming back to Molineux could have the same effect as a new signing for the club.

James Ward-Prowse’s imminent exit from Southampton is set to spark a domino effect that could see another midfielder move in the opposite direction.

What are the latest Southampton transfer rumours?

According to David Ornstein, 24-year-old maestro, Flynn Downes, is expected to join the Saints on loan from West Ham United after Ward-Prowse’s much-anticipated £30m move to the 2023 Europa Conference League winners is completed.

Writing on Twitter, The Athletic journalist stated: "James Ward-Prowse set to travel to London this evening & do medical Friday before joining West Ham from Southampton. Flynn Downes expected to go other way on season-long loan – not done but talks heading in that direction."

A move to St Mary's would see Downes reunited with former manager Russell Martin and allow him to resurrect his stuttering career.

Would Flynn Downes be a good signing for Southampton?

The Englishman joined Swansea City under Martin in 2021 and in just one season in Wales, he oozed quality and composure.

That season, Downes made 37 appearances, completing 90% of his passes in the opposition half and 68% of his dribbles, averaging 1.3 tackles per game, and winning 55% of his ground duels, as per Sofascore.

However, most impressively, the midfielder completed 92.6% of his 2,465 attempted passes in domestic football in that term, meaning he had the highest pass-completion rate in the country’s top four divisions, and was even ahead of Declan Rice with 91.6%.

Martin predicted the £25k-per-week engine to have a huge future, saying: “I'm running out of superlatives for Flynn.

"He came from League One. He was a really important signing for us. We were really supported by the owners with that signing, and I think it's been justified because he's one of our biggest assets.

"He has all the ingredients he needs to play at the very top. He knows how I feel about him and how we feel about him as a coaching staff and what his ceiling can be.

"I think he can go and play wherever he wants eventually."

But, his move to West Ham hasn’t materialised in expected fashion as he only made 15 starts in all competitions and was an unused substitute more times (16) than he was substituted on (14) in the Premier League.

Nevertheless, Downes has previously demonstrated that he can be a formidable force in Championship football, and under Martin’s tutelage, he can return to the heights that caught David Moyes’ attention.

Martin could be set to form a devastating midfield duo, with Carlos Alcaraz tipped to play a huge role in the club’s promotion push. Despite only arriving in England in January, the Argentinian recorded six goal involvements in 13 Premier League starts, showcasing the type of attacking threat he can pose from his advanced midfield berth.

More recently, in Southampton's season opener against Sheffield Wednesday, he produced an accomplished performance, completing 63 passes and all long balls, registering three key passes, and winning five duels in 73 minutes, as per Sofascore. Harry Redknapp feels he has “got a bit of everything in his game” and looks destined for an influential campaign.

Martin has described Downes as “incredible” and echoed similar praise, adding: “He enables other people to do their roles brilliantly.

“He has an excellent willingness to learn, his attitude, his attention to detail and how quickly he learns is outstanding.

“His desire to win and athleticism, with his increasing and improving technical ability, shows how much he wants to work.”

The signing of Downes should then increase Southampton’s chances of an instant return to top-flight football, with the Englishman able to potentially thrive alongside Alcaraz for the south coast side.

أعلن المدير الفني لمنتخب البرازيل، دوريفال جونيور، القائمة النهائية المستدعاة للمشاركة في بطولة كوبا أمريكا 2024، والتي تضم 23 لاعبًا.

ويتواجد منتخب البرازيل في المجموعة الرابعة التي تضم معه كولمبيا، باراجواي وكوستاريكا.

اقرأ أيضًا | بعد 10 سنوات من الانفصال.. كاكا يكسر الصمت للرد على طليقته

ويفتقد منتخب البرازيل العديد من الوجوه البارزة، مثل النجم نيمار لاعب الهلال السعودي، إلى جانب ريتشارليسون لاعب توتنهام، وثنائي مانشسرت يونايتد كاسيميرو وأنتوني، ولاعب برشلونة فيتور روكي.

كذلك يغيب كل من لاعب آرسنال جابرييل جيسوس، مالكوم لاعب الهلال، أليكس تيليس لاعب النصر ورينان لودي لاعب الهلال السعودي. قائمة منتخب البرازيل في كوبا أمريكا 2024

حراسة المرمى: بينتو (أتلتيكو باراناينسي)، أليسون بيكر (ليفربول).

خط الدفاع: دانيلو، جليسون بريمر(يوفنتوس)، يان كوتو (جيرونا)، ويندل (بورتو)، بيرالدو (باريس سان جيرمان)، ميليتاو (ريال مدريد)، جابرييل (آرسنال)، ماركينيوس (باريس سان جيرمان)، أرانا (أتلتيكو مينيرو).

خط الوسط: أندرياس بيريرا (فولهام)، جواو جوميز (ولفرهامبتون)، برونو جيماريش (نيوكاسل يونايتد)، دوجلاس لويز (أستون فيلا)، لوكاس باكيتا (وست هام)، إيديرسون (أتالانتا)

خط الهجوم: إندريك (بالميراس)، إيفانيلسون، بيبي (بورتو)، رودريجو (ريال مدريد)، جابرييل مارتينيلي (آرسنال)، رافينها (برشلونة)، سافينيو (جيرونا)، فينيسيوس جونيور (ريال مدريد)، بيبي (بورتو)

Leeds United's American owners, 49ers Enterprises are ready to green light a move for Norwich City star Josh Sargent, with a new report now revealing that a bid could be submitted in the very near future…

What's the latest Leeds transfer news?

Leeds have been in the market for a new striker, and they have recently received a potential boost in their pursuit of West Ham United's Michail Antonio, with talkSPORT's Alan Brazil claiming the Jamaican is set to depart the London Stadium this summer.

Brazil said: "I’m told he’s off. He’s off. I’m told someone has helped pack him and he’s on his way."

Daniel Farke's side have also been named as potential suitors for Venezia attacker Joel Pohjanpalo, and Ben Jacobs has told GiveMeSport that Swansea City's Joel Piroe could be another option, saying:

"I think Leeds would like a striker. I think that they need a goalscorer to come in and make sure that they retain their firepower, but it's not guaranteed.

"Joel Piroe has been the one that's been linked from Swansea, but I think that price has always been a bit of an issue there, even though Leeds are very genuine."

A new report from Football Insider has now detailed that the Whites are considering a late-window swoop for Sargent, having drawn up a shortlist of strikers after Patrick Bamford's injury, and their opening offer could be made in the next few days.

Since then, Football Insider have also gone on to claim that Leeds' American owners, 49ers Enterprises, are ready to green light a deal for the Norwich City forward, indicating that a bid could be expected soon.

The 49ers took full control at Elland Road last month, despite the relegation from the Premier League, and they are willing to bring more American talent through the door, with the club previously signing the likes of Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson.

Those signings helped boost the Yorkshire club's profile in the USA, and the board are open to bringing in more American talent this summer.

Read The Latest Leeds Transfer News HERE

How many goals has Josh Sargent scored for Norwich?

The Missouri-born attacker has scored a total of 18 goals in 73 appearances for Norwich, so he has not been prolific, but there is evidence he is now coming into his prime, having found the back of the net 13 times in the Championship last season.

Lauded as an "absolute animal" by members of the media, the American was ranked by Sofascore as the Canaries' fourth-best performing player in the Championship last term, and he could be a versatile option for Farke.

The £12k-per-week attacker is also capable of playing at right-wing, weighing in with six goals and four assists in 38 games in that area of the pitch.

Sargent is yet to prove himself as an out-and-out goalscorer, so it may be worth Leeds bringing in a more experienced option alongside him, such as Antonio, but he is a top player at Championship level, and he could be a real boost in the Whites' promotion push this season.

England have called George Garton into their Ashes squad as injuries continued to bite deep into their resources.Garton, a 20-year-old with only nine first-class games behind him, will join up with the squad ahead of next week’s warm-up game inTownsville. Left-arm and fast, Garton had impressed the team management with his pace in net sessions over recent months, but hiselevation to the Test squad is as much a reflection of England’s dire injury situation as his potential.Garton joins the tour party as cover for Jake Ball. Ball’s right ankle buckled under him in delivery stride in Adelaide a couple of days agoand he has now been diagnosed with a ligament strain. The injury is not thought likely to be tour-ending, but it does render him a doubtfor the final warm-up game in Townsville and the first Test in Brisbane, which starts on November 23.With England keen not to over-bowl any of their main seamers ahead of that first Test, Garton will add depth to the squad in Townsville. Heis expected to join the Lions tour – which arrives in Australia next week – once Ball recovers.While Garton’s career record is modest – he has taken just 23 first-class wickets with a best of 3 for 20 and an average of 36.47 – his slingy pace renders him a player of huge potential.He will not need much time to acclimatise, having spent October in Melbourne with his Australian partner Liz, who he met a year ago when she was travelling around Europe and has since kept up a long-term relationship. Sussex’s former Australian all-rounder Tony Dodemaide also gave him a chance to bowl in the nets at the MCG against Victoria’s back-up players.He then returned briefly to England to team up with England Lions preparations at the national performance centre in Loughborough before preparing to make the 11,000-mile journey once more.”It was a great experience to get on Australian wickets for the first time and let the Aussies have it a bit,” he said in Loughborough. “I managed to get it down there and let them sniff a few. There’s no better feeling than hurling it down there as quick as you can and seeing the poles go everywhere, or making the batsmen feel uncomfortable.”The news sustains an unsettled start to England’s tour. Losing Ben Stokes and Toby Roland-Jones before departing the UK, they then saw Steven Finn fly home after he sustained a knee injury while batting in the nets in Perth, while Moeen Ali, their senior spinner, has yet to play on tour after suffering a side strain. Tom Curran joined up with the squad on Friday as cover for Finn.Mark Wood (ankle) and Tom Helm (hamstring), who are also on the Lions tour, were not considered fit for selection by England. Jamie Porter, the top wicket-taker in Division One in 2017, has also been diagnosed with a stress fracture recently.Liam Plunkett, who is currently in action in the BPL, was also considered. But bearing in mind the anticipated short stay Garton will have with the England squad – he is expected to be with them for about a week – the England management took the decision to allow Plunkett to remain in Bangladesh. He could still be called-up if another bowler sustains an injury.

India’s preparation for their tour of South Africa continues unimpeded

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Nagpur26-Nov-2017When the Nagpur Test began, an unfamiliar sight greeted followers of Indian cricket. As Ishant Sharma began running up to bowl the first ball, Cheteshwar Pujara stood at first slip. Pujara’s last stint in the slips came in 2012-13; since then he’s usually fielded in the outfield to the fast bowlers and at short leg or silly point to the spinners.Pujara marked his return to the slips with an excellent catch to send back Sadeera Samarawickrama, diving forward and to his left to complete a low grab. On Sunday he hinted that he is likely to continue at first slip when India go to South Africa in January to begin a long sequence of away tours.”Most probably,” he said, at the end of the third day’s play. “Going forward I think, especially in overseas conditions, all the batsmen should be ready to field in the slips, where we’ll have at least three slips and a gully throughout the day. So we are trying to have all the batsmen who can field at the slips whenever needed.”We’ll take a call about my slip fielding once we reach there, but most likely I might be there at first slip. I’ve been doing close-in fielding for the Indian team for quite some time. For spinners I’ve been fielding at gully. Slip fielding is something I’ve done in the past even for Saurashtra. I enjoy fielding at slips, so going forward, if I’m fielding at first slip I’ll definitely enjoy and try and take many catches.”Another difference in Pujara’s game, right through this series, has been his eagerness to push for quick singles. Troubled by knee injuries early in his career, Pujara has never been the quickest runner, but during the course of his 143 in Nagpur – and also his half-century in the first Test in Kolkata – he has been noticeably keen on pinching quick singles for himself and his partners, and there were plenty of twos and threes as well, particularly during his partnership of 183 with Virat Kohli, one of the fleetest athletes in the team.”See, since last one-and-a-half, two years, I’ve been working on my fitness,” Pujara said. “Luckily there haven’t been any injuries, and injuries are something I’ve gone through and that is in the past. Now I’m fully fit and that is the reason I’m able to take all the quick singles and even doubles.”Even my recoveries are much better now, because of my fitness. When it comes to batting I don’t think there’s anything I’ve changed, but fitness has helped me a lot, and when it comes to recovery and playing Test cricket, especially, if you want to be there on the field for all five days, you need to have a lot of stamina and your fitness has to be on the top.”Pujara spent 362 balls at the crease in Nagpur; on a pitch that he felt was “on the slower side”, he scored his runs at a strike-rate of just under 40. He felt the pitch, on day three, had begun to show signs of wear, and that Sri Lanka would be in for a difficult time in their second innings.”Kolkata was a different wicket altogether, where there was a lot of assistance for the fast bowlers, especially in the first innings. Coming back to this wicket, I think it was difficult to score runs, because this wicket was on the slower side, so it wasn’t very easy to get boundaries. So we had to rotate the strike, and in between, whenever we got some opportunities, we tried to play some shots.”But overall I think it was a tough pitch where, as a batsman, you might not get out, but at the same time it was difficult to score runs. I think, going forward in this game, the ball has started turning, so we’re hoping that on day four our spinners will come into play, and at the same time there’s variable bounce for the fast bowlers, so Ishant and Umesh [Yadav] also will come into play.”Cheteshwar Pujara walks off to a standing ovation•BCCIDespite the slowness of the pitch, Virat Kohli still managed to score 213 at a strike rate of close to 80. Pujara put this down to his form and confidence.”He’s the kind of player who performs well in all the formats of the game, and the way he started off – if there was any other batsman, I don’t think someone else could have started the same way. I think it’s his confidence and the way he’s batting recently in the last 2-3 years. The way he was timing the ball – if there was any other batsman it was a bit difficult to score with such a strike rate.”Pujara will head to South Africa with runs behind him, but perhaps not a whole lot of preparation in South African conditions. With India playing six limited-overs games against Sri Lanka after this, they will arrive in South Africa with only enough time for one two-day warm-up game before the first Test. Pujara, who is not part of India’s limited-overs squads, hoped the Test specialists would be able to land in South Africa early.”See, as far as practice games are concerned, I’m not someone who should be commenting,” he said. “It also depends on the schedule, and the way BCCI plans its tours. But going there little bit early – maybe say about a week or 10 days early – and then practising on those pitches is important.”But at the same time it also depends on the way the Indian team is playing in other formats. So if there are some matches scheduled before we either go to South Africa or England, then you can’t help it. As an individual you need to be prepared, and even if we are in India, we need to try and replicate the wickets which might be there in South Africa or England, and try and practise here.”If Saurashtra qualify for the Ranji Trophy quarter-finals, Pujara could get some match practice before heading to South Africa, but having been there twice before with the Test team, he felt he had gleaned enough knowledge of the conditions.”I’ve been there in 2010 and again in 2013, so that experience will definitely help me,” he said. “Apart from that, as soon as this Test series gets over – it also depends on whether Saurashtra qualifies for the Ranji quarterfinals – but at the same time I think we’ll have enough time – especially the players who are part of the Test team – because the first Test starts on [January 5].”Before that there is plenty of time to prepare. Personally, county experience and playing in South Africa in the past will definitely help me, because I have improved my technique, especially playing in overseas conditions. Overall I’m very confident with the kind of form I’m going through.”Ajinkya Rahane, meanwhile, has been going through a lean patch of late, particularly in home conditions, and on Sunday was out for 2, slicing Dilruwan Perera to point. Pujara said there was no reason to worry about Rahane’s form.”I think Ajinkya Rahane is someone who is a class player,” he said. “This is the time where he’s not scoring some runs, but he’s someone who will be back in form very soon. His work ethics are remarkable, and I’m very sure that, going forward, he’s just one innings away, where the moment he gets a big score, he will be back in form and he’ll be quite a useful player for the Indian team.”

Newcastle United are now preparing to make a £30m offer for Chelsea left-back Lewis Hall, and they could be set to hijack a rival Premier League club's deal, according to journalist Alan Nixon.

What's the latest Newcastle transfer news?

Newcastle want to sign a left-back on loan before the transfer window slams shut, and fresh contact has now been made with Arsenal over a deal for Kieran Tierney, having previously been unwilling to match the Gunners' £30m asking price.

Tierney is not the Magpies' only option who's currently plying his trade in the Premier League, with Chelsea's Marc Cucurella being named as a target, while they have previously been touted as potential suitors for Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hugo Bueno.

Read The Latest Newcastle Transfer News HERE

At the start of this month, Eddie Howe's side were said to be monitoring Hall, with journalist Ben Jacobs detailing:

"Lewis Hall might have to leave as well. Hall is on Newcastle’s radar for sure. I’m not aware that they’ve made a bid at the moment, but the feeling in the Chelsea camp is that he will be available, both he and Trevoh Chalobah are on the market, and Newcastle might look at Hall. He’s younger and one for the future."

Since then, Crystal Palace have made progress in their pursuit of the 18-year-old, with it being reported by The Evening Standard that a season-long loan deal had been agreed, but there could now be a late twist…

That is according to journalist Nixon, who has stated that Newcastle are preparing a £30m bid for the youngster, in order to hijack his proposed move to Selhurst Park (via NUFC Blog).

Chelsea have "moved the goalposts" with Palace and could now change their mind about letting him leave on loan, potentially sanctioning a permanent exit, in order to balance the books at Stamford Bridge.

Having had an initial enquiry about the left-back knocked back by Chelsea, the Magpies have now been given hope they could complete a permanent deal this summer.

How good is Lewis Hall?

It is hard to gauge what level the Englishman is currently playing at, given that he has only made a handful of senior appearances for Chelsea, but there are plenty of indications that he could be a fantastic long-term addition to Howe's squad.

Journalist Fentuo Tahiru Fento claimed the starlet looked "more assured than Cucurella" back in November last year, while Nizaar Kinsella praised him for his performance against Manchester City, saying:

"Lewis Hall has just beaten Rico Lewis's press for the second time. Showing both his surging run and passing ability on one of the biggest stages in the country. Skills that he has shown at academy level. He has earned this chance."

It may be a risk for Newcastle to shell out £30m on the young defender, given that Tierney is also set to be available for the same price, and he is vastly more experienced at Premier League level.

However, Hall is clearly blessed with a great deal of potential, having managed to break into the Chelsea team at such a young age, and it is exciting news that the Magpies could now hijack Palace's deal.