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Liverpool were expected to sign "three midfielders" in the summer transfer window, but the position Trent Alexander-Arnold ultimately ends up playing in preseason could change that plan to be "two midfielders and a fullback", believes transfer insider Dean Jones.

Liverpool transfer news – who is linked to Liverpool?

The big transfer news for Liverpool this week has been the developments around Hungarian midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai.

The Athletic have reported that the club have met with the 22-year-old's representatives to discuss personal terms with a view to the player making a permeant move to Merseyside this summer, with things being stepped up.

A bit closer to home now, and the Reds have also been heavily linked with a move for Southampton's exciting young midfielder, Romeo Lavia, with the transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reporting that Liverpool have 'opened talks' with the South coast club.

The 19-time league winners have already completed one midfield signing this summer, Argentinian international Alexis Mac Allister, who the club signed from Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this month for an estimated initial fee of £35m.

What has Dean Jones said about Liverpool's transfer window?

Jones made a point of assessing Liverpool's current players before making too many guesses as to who they might pursue in the summer and what positions they might focus on.

Speaking to Football Fancast, he said: "I think we should also consider what Liverpool have already to work with, and the use of Trent next season. I mean, I'm intrigued to know what actually we see from Trent. Once we get into preseason and where he's lining up.

Interestingly, he believes that the position Jurgen Klopp decides to play Trent in will have a huge impact on the club's overall transfer vision, adding: "Like we've been expecting three midfielders to be signed, really, over the course of this summer, but it could be two midfielders and a fullback that that turns into."

How good was Trent Alexander Arnold last year?

It was a mixed year for Trent, to say the least. While he still excelled in certain metrics and was often a joy to watch, he was also frequently caught out in the defensive side of the game.

Andy Jones of the Athletic pinpointed his display against Crystal Palace earlier this year as the perfect 'microcosm' in which fans could see his brilliant best and ever-increasing frailties, all in one game.

Klopp has recognised the growing criticism of his superstar right-back in recent seasons but defended him, arguing that some of the mistakes are due to a lack of rest, saying after the Palace game, "Trent plays all the games."

That said, at his best, very few, if any, can do what the Liverpool born-gem can do.

According to FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, Trent sits in the top 1% for expected assists, the top 2% of attempted passes and progressive passes, the top 4% for shot-creating actions and the top 8% for assists.

Those are the kind of underlying numbers that Klopp was referencing when he called the dynamic fullback a "world class talent" just a couple of years ago.

Whether Liverpool decides to persist with Trent in the backline or slowly move him into a midfield role, he will still be considered one of the game's best players if he can maintain the level of performance we have seen from him so many times before.

Liverpool have turned their attention to Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Edmond Tapsoba as Jurgen Klopp looks to recraft his side, according to reports.

What's the latest on Edmond Tapsoba to Liverpool?

According to 90min, Liverpool's interest in the Burkina Faso international is acting as a deterrent to Tottenham Hotspur, who are "wary" of several Premier League rivals as they look to bolster their defence.

The Reds are focussing their attention on their midfield with James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain leaving next week at the end of their contracts, and Alexis Mac Allister has already arrived for £35m.

But the defence also needs reinforcement and Tapsoba could be the perfect addition to return Anfield to its former vigour, with Die Werkself demanding around £61m for their star defender.

Who could Edmond Tapsoba replace at Liverpool?

Given Liverpool's defensive woes last season and inability to retain their Champions League status after finishing fifth in the Premier League, it's understandable that Klopp is hoping to secure a signature to bolster his backline.

While it is unlikely that Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate will be displaced from their starting berths at the centre of the Reds' defence, the pool of depth in the position needs expanding after Joe Gomez and Joel Matip failed to inspire confidence.

The latter, 31-year-old Matip, is approaching the final year of his contract with Liverpool and looks set to remain at the club, departing on a free next summer.

While he is still a valuable backup to have, Tapsoba would be an upgrade and could be viewed as the eventual heir to the Cameroonian, who has made 187 appearances since signing from German outfit Schalke on a free transfer in 2016.

He has won a wealth of major honours during his stay, but after starting just 12 times in the Premier League this term he has received criticism for his "awful" displays by CBS reporter Nico Cantor.

In the 24-year-old Tapsoba, Liverpool would sign a "monster" of a centre-half – as praised by journalist Antonio Mango – who could bring a progressive approach to match Matip's and an iron-clad determination, having averaged 1.5 tackles and three clearances per game last term and won 62% of his ground duels, as per Sofascore.

And given the £37k-per-week ace ranks among the top 5% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for progressive passes, the top 8% for progressive carries and the top 6% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref, he could indeed emulate Matip's role at the club.

Liverpool's 6 foot 5 colossus ranks among the top 6% for shot-creating actions, the top 9% for progressive passes and the top 1% for progressive carries per 90, with such parallels strengthening the claim that Tapsoba is a tailor-made replacement.

Liverpool must make their move and reconstruct the club's framework after a lacklustre year, and while Matip is undoubtedly a stalwart, his ship has sailed on Merseyside and Klopp must make his move to sign a burgeoning upgrade in Tapsoba.

Celtic are thought to be interested in signing Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi this summer, according to reports.

What’s the latest Celtic transfer news?

The Hoops ended their search for a new manager earlier in the week after bringing back Brendan Rodgers. The Northern Irishman, who won seven major honours with Celtic in 169 games in charge during his first stint in charge, agreed terms on a long-term deal.

Reports have suggested that Celtic will also back their new boss in the transfer market this summer to help continue the good work by Ange Postecoglou, and it looks as if Ndidi is a target for those at Parkhead.

The Daily Mail’s Simon Jones shared a transfer round-up in the last 48 hours and provided a Celtic transfer update.

When talking about possible players leaving the King Power Stadium following their relegation to the Championship, he stated that Celtic are interested in signing Ndidi.

Who is Wilfred Ndidi?

Ndidi is 26 years of age and is primarily a defensive midfielder who can also play as a centre-back if required.

Valued at a career-high €60m by Transfermarkt back in 2021, the midfielder’s current value stands at €25m and is under contract until 2024, so Celtic may be able to exploit a cut-price move due to his contract situation.

The Nigeria international has made 237 appearances for Leicester after joining back in 2017 – 138 of which have come under Rodgers. The new Celtic boss is clearly a big fan of the player, labelling him as “irreplaceable” back in 2021.

“He’s one of the top players in world football in the recovering of the ball.

“He’s irreplaceable. For such a young player, he has been fantastic.”

As per WhoScored, Ndidi has averaged an impressive match rating of 7.11/10 and has experience of playing in the Champions League with the Foxes, so for the right price, could be a shrewd signing.

He would offer Rodgers a proven quality option who he already knows extremely well and would bring versatility n midfield and defence at Celtic Park, and with the club set to back the manager, a move could be one to watch closely alongside another linked Foxes player in Daniel Amartey.

Celtic are reportedly closing in on a deal to confirm Brendan Rodgers as the club's replacement for the recently-departed Ange Postecoglou.

The Hoops lost their Australian manager earlier this month as he opted to move down south to join Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur and majority shareholder Dermot Desmond is now in advanced talks to land his heir.

Rodgers is poised for a second spell at Parkhead after almost three years in charge of the Scottish giants before his switch to Leicester in 2019. He won seven trophies in that time and enjoyed great success that the Northern Irish tactician will now be hoping to replicate this time around.

The 50-year-old tinkerer will have the summer transfer window to bolster his side and one player he must swoop for is FC Utrecht star Anastasios Douvikas.

Who is Anastasios Douvikas?

The 23-year-old striker is a reported transfer target for the Hoops and the talented Greek marksman could come in and be the manager's next Moussa Dembele.

During Rodgers' first spell at Celtic, the French centre-forward was a prolific scorer who was able to provide a reliable source of goals over the course of two seasons.

He racked up 51 goals and 25 assists in 94 appearances in all competitions for the former Liverpool coach and these statistics show that the experienced boss was able to rely upon the ex-Fulham dynamo at the top end of the pitch.

Douvikas, who is reportedly available for a fee of £6.9m, could be Dembele 2.0 for Rodgers as his form for Utrecht in the Eredivisie suggests that the young ace has the potential to be a lethal scorer for Celtic next season.

During the 2022/23 campaign, the Greek international, who journalist Josh Bunting once hailed as "sharp", plundered 19 goals in 32 appearances.

He started 24 of those matches and his exceptional return in front of goal in the Netherlands indicates that he has the quality to replicate the former Hoops star's impressive strike rate of more than one goal every other game.

The 6 foot 1 frontman also showcased his creative ability as a centre-forward.

In the Eredivisie, Douvikas registered four assists and created seven 'big chances' for his teammates, which shows that the prolific scorer has the awareness and passing ability to open up defences for his fellow attackers to go along with his own goalscoring threat.

Therefore, Rodgers must push for the club to go through with a deal to sign the Greek ace as his statistics indicate that the Utrecht centre-forward could be the manager's new star striker.

Hearts head into a new era, with Steven Naismith being appointed as their new full-time manager until 2025, although he won’t be allowed to use that title just yet.

The Scot doesn’t have the required Pro Licence qualification to be able to manage in European competition, therefore Frankie McAvoy will have the title of head coach, with Naismith acting as the technical director, for now at least.

The former Scotland international will still be going about his business as usual, and he will be determined to build a squad which can secure a better finish than the fourth place they ended up last term, while qualifying for the Europa Conference League group stages for the second year in a row.

To do this, the 36-year-old will have to add some quality to his first team, and recently released Scott Arfield could be the ideal person to give the squad a boost according to former Hearts' winger Neil McCann.

He told BBC Sportscene (via Football Scotland): "I love Scott [Arfield]. I think he has been a magnificent servant coming up from Burnley. He wasn't at the starting point of his career. People might have said he was on the way down but I think he has performed brilliantly.

"He would be another super signing for someone like Hearts or Aberdeen maybe.”

Could Hearts sign Scott Arfield?

The 34-year-old admitted that he plans on playing until he is 40 and considering he made 43 appearances for the Rangers last term, registering ten goal contributions – nine goals and one assist – it certainly suggests he has plenty more to offer.

Indeed, with his relentless work rate and ability to score the occasional goal, the £10k-per-week midfielder could be perfect slotting in behind Lawrence Shankland during the 2023/24 campaign.

Arfield created two big chances and made 0.5 key passes per game for the Ibrox side last term, yet he averaged just 34 minutes a game, starting only seven league matches and there is no doubt these numbers would have been better had he played more.

Shankland was Hearts' top scorer with 24 goals, while also ranking first in the squad for overall Sofascore rating (7.11/10), shots on target per game (1.4) and scoring frequency (a goal every 127 minutes), pushing the club into the European places with his impressive strike rate.

Journalist Jordan Campbell lavished praise on the Canadian following his cameo against Hearts last November, saying: “Scott Arfield has added a lot of personality to the team since coming on. Cajoling teammates, pressing with intensity, trying to link things.”

If he could bring these qualities to the Jambos next season, he and Shankland would link up well.

Indeed, Arfield would be at ease doing the legwork while giving the 27-year-old plenty of ammunition to repeat his goal-scoring antics from recent years.

As such, the 5 foot 10 gem could be a shrewd piece of business for the new boss. Naismith, it’s over to you.

Manchester United are the current front-runners to sign Napoli centre-back Kim Min-jae this summer, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Have United been linked with Kim Min-jae?

The Red Devils look highly likely to bring in reinforcements at the heart of their defence over the next few months, as they look to close the gap on rivals Manchester City next season.

While Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane forged an excellent partnership throughout 2022/23, their absence through injury has exposed the lack of depth there, with Luke Shaw even being drafted into an auxiliary role because of a seeming lack of trust in Harry Maguire.

One player who has been continually linked with a move to Old Trafford is Kim, who looks like a primary transfer target and is seen as a future key man. The £33,000-a-week central defender is fresh off the back of a magnificent season for Napoli, proving to be a rock at the back as they won their first Serie A title since 1990.

Are Reds favourites to sign Kim Min-jae?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Romano claimed that United currently lead the way in the battle to snap up Kim in the summer transfer window:

"United know that they are ahead of the other clubs for Kim, because they started this process in October and November. So Man United remain interested in Kim.

"It's very clear that the release clause is only available in July not in June, so at the moment the clubs can’t do anything to sign the player."

This is a really promising update regarding Kim's future, with the Napoli man arguably one of the best players in his position in Europe currently, certainly given the form he is in.

Fellow South Korean Park Ji-sung has described his compatriot as "outstanding", also saying that he is doing "extraordinary things" at the moment, and he is someone who could help elevate United to another level next season. Spalletti also called the defender "one of a kind" and a "monster" for his efforts over in Italy.

With Varane now 30 and arguably not quite the player he used to be, Kim could be considered the natural long-term partner for Martinez, with the better excelling alongside one another for many years to come. At 26, he is at a brilliant age for a centre-back – the same age that Virgil van Dijk was when he joined Liverpool, for example – with enough experience to come in as a vital player from the off, but also having time on his side.

West Bromwich Albion recently secured their first incoming deal of the summer transfer window as the club announced that they had signed John Swift on a three-year contract from Reading as a free agent.

Given how Baggies boss Steve Bruce previously spoke about the possibility of there being a significant overhaul at the club during the summer, it’s safe to say that they may have got the ball rolling with Swift’s arrival.

However, one man who could well go on to have a big future at The Hawthorns and who, in a similar vein to Swift, wouldn’t cost the club a penny in transfer fees is Jovan Malcolm.

Bruce can save millions with Malcolm

A product of the club’s youth system, the 19-year-old has made a combined 54 appearances for West Brom’s under-18 and under-23 sides. In that time, the centre-forward has scored 23 goals and delivered four assists along the way.

The teenager has also had two loan spells away from the Midlands club with Solihull Moors and Accrington Stanley.

Labelled a “powerful centre-forward [who] loves scoring goals and can adapt to play anywhere across the frontline” according to Albion youth coach Peter Gilbert, Malcolm has yet to make a senior appearance for the Baggies.

Taking into account how West Brom found scoring goals rather difficult at times during their recent Championship campaign, having an attacking talent like the Baggies prodigy in and around the first team could be hugely beneficial for them.

Also, with Swift racking up 11 goals and 13 assists in 38 league games this season for Reading, having him playing behind or next to Malcolm could be just what the youngster needs in order to flourish in the first team if Bruce gives him the chance to play.

This could then give the team some much-needed dynamism and creativity in their midfield and attack, which may then put them in a good shape to get close to winning promotion back to the Premier League.

If Malcolm can work hard and impress Bruce in pre-season, there’s every chance that he’ll then be given his senior West Brom debut at some point in the campaign and potentially go on to become a regular figure in the team, saving the club millions in the process.

In other news: Bruce can secure the next Gallagher as WBA eye £3m dynamo who is a “constant threat”

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been dealt a coaching staff blow after Fred Rutten rejected a move to Old Trafford, as per The Metro.

The Lowdown: Ten Hag announced as United manager

The Dutchman was announced as the new Red Devils manager last month and is set to arrive at Old Trafford over the coming weeks when the current campaign ends.

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Ten Hag has signed a contract through to 2025 in Manchester but is still yet to secure deals for any coaching staff. Rutten was seemingly on his radar, but the experienced manager – who is currently working behind the scenes with NEC Nijmegen – won’t be heading to England.

The Latest: Rutten rejects Man United move

As per The Metro on Sunday, Rutten has turned down the chance to join Ten Hag at United after holding talks with the 52-year-old.

He has instead agreed to join the coaching staff of former Red Devils striker Ruud van Nistelrooy at PSV Eindhoven ahead of the 2022/23 season.

The Verdict: Van der Gaag key?

Ten Hag was seemingly keen for Rutten to join him in England after talks, so this update is a big blow to the new United manager. However, Ten Hag’s current assistant Mitchell van der Gaag has been linked with following his boss to Old Trafford this summer, with Fabrizio Romano revealing that an agreement is now getting closer.

He has been described as an ‘important addition’, so hopefully the Red Devils manager will have better news when it comes to Van der Gaag as Ten Hag looks to get his backroom team confirmed ahead of the 2022/23 season.

Doing that will allow him to focus fully on new additions and who knows, he could ask Van der Gaag for his thoughts on potential signings, should a move go through.

In other news: Man Utd now leading race to sign star striker for Ten Hag in big deal

Manchester United are acting on a mega-money bid that would see Napoli striker Victor Osimhen trade the Serie A for the Premier League if it all comes to fruition.

What’s the word?

That is according to La Repubblica, via Sport Witness, who claim that Manchester United “have already come forward” for the 23-year-old striker “with an offer of €100 million” (£84m).

Corriere dello Sport’s report is along the same lines, with the outlet stating that Manchester United and Arsenal “may make a sacrifice (a big bid) that would make him happy.”

The report states that “Napoli would not falter” if they were “faced with an indecent proposal worth €110 million” (£92.5m), but would “let the deal happen.”

United’s “Lion Heart”

If there is one thing that Manchester United need in the side, it is heart. Previously dubbed a “Lion Heart”, Osimhen brings that in abundance.

The 23-year-old has had a tough upbringing. His mother died when he was still a child and his father lost his job three months later. He sold bottled water in the middle of traffic to help his family get by financially.

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It seems as though his work ethic has transitioned into his play style on the pitch, with Osimhen willing to graft from the front in order to win back possession for his side. The Nigeria international’s match average of 10.31 pressures in the attacking third are elite level, as per FBref, and fit perfectly with the pressing system that Erik ten Hag will seek to employ at the Old Trafford side.

Osimhen is enjoying yet another prosperous season at Napoli in Serie A, with his five times in a row.

With two goals) combined.

With his average of 3.89 shots total per 90, he pips that of Erling Haaland’s average of 3.65, with the Norwegian previously linked.

His threat up top could see him become a talismanic figure for the Red Devils, and with his link as a similar player to Erling Haaland, as per FBref, he could well be United’s version of the Dortmund sensation.

In other news: Man United now plotting bid to sign £70m “machine”, he’s a big upgrade on Martial

Leeds United have been given permission to talk to Aberdeen youngster Calvin Ramsay ahead of a potential move, according to a new report.

The Lowdown: Ramsay link emerges

The 18-year-old has emerged as arguably one of the most exciting young players in Scotland, shining with his performances for Aberdeen.

Ramsay has 18 Scottish Premiership starts to his name this season, despite his tender years, and he has been described as an ‘elite’ young full-back by Dons chairman Dave Cormack.

Leeds have been linked with a move for the Scot in recent days but they are unlikely to be alone in showing an interest in the coming weeks and months.

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The Latest: Leeds given green light

Now, a new update has emerged, with Football Insider claiming that Aberdeen will allow Ramsay to talk to the Whites over a possible move across the border to the Premier League.

An FI source claims they are ‘ready to cash in’ on one of their most prized assets and will demand a ‘significant’ seven-figure fee for his services.

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The Verdict: One for the future

Ramsay looks like an exceptional prospect already, so the idea of Leeds beating others to his signature is hugely exciting.

He wouldn’t be considered an immediate starter for Jesse Marsch’s side, given his age, but he is someone who would be both a squad player and a potential star man for the future.

The fact that Liverpool are also keen on signing Ramsay speaks volumes about his level of promise, and if Leeds got their first it would suggest they are moving in the right direction under Marsch, securing a long-term replacement for fan favourite Luke Ayling.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly keen on signing a Premier League defender. Find out who it is here.