Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has told fans not to expect a £15million signing but he hopes to add more talented players to his squad in the next month.

Celtic have signed five players since Rodgers returned – Norwegian midfielder Odin Thiago Holm, Australian winger Marco Tilio, South Korean pair Yang Hyun-jun and Kwon Hyeok-kyu, and Poland Under-21 defender Maik Nawrocki.

The new arrivals have an average age of 21 and Celtic look set to continue their model of signing younger players with potential to improve.

Rodgers told Sky Sports News: “I think everyone looks and thinks that we might be bringing in a £15-20million player. The reality is that won’t be the case. It’s not what the club is based on.

“But that doesn’t mean there’s not tal…

Following the Super League debacle earlier this year, it doesn t take much for owners and chairmen at Europe s major football clubs to give off the air of scheming supervillains.

Still, Spurs chief Daniel Levy chuckling away to himself before kick-off amid no other visible amusement in the directors box felt a little on the nose.

Perhaps he was pondering a best-case scenario in the current context of his own club, visitors Manchester City and Sunday afternoon s absent superstar.

On their three previous visits to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the reigning Premier League champions had been beaten without scoring a goal. In each of those games, City s expected goals (xG) figure, as per Opta, was superior to their hosts, including a comedic 0.3-2.9 when Jose Mourin…

Saint Ettiene defender Florentin Pogba, otherwise known as a brother of Manchester United’s Paul Pogba, could be well on his way to the Premier League as well.

Hull City and Sunderland are battling it out for the 26-year-old who has long been linked with a move to England.

The centre-back was negotiating a deal with Aston Villa last summer, but the talks eventually collapsed over personal terms.

And French media outlet have picked up on rumours in France that Paula Pogba’s brother is a target for Hull and Sunderland, who are both attempting to bring the defender on deadline day.

Florentin joined Saint Ettiene in 2012 but he only made proper impact last season during which je racked 24 appearances for the Ligue 1 side.

Unlike his brother whos…

Crystal Palace are on the verge of completing a deal for Sunderland striker Connor Wickham, .

The 22 year old only signed a new few five year contract just last season, though the North East side are ready to listen to offers for the former Ipswich Town man.

Wickham swapped Portman Road for the Stadium of Light four years ago, and has since racked up ninety-one appearances in all competitions, scoring just fifteen goals.

He has also had loan spells with Sheffield Wednesday and Leeds United since 2011, while internationally he has scored six goals in seventeen appearances for England’s U21s.

Palace manager Alan Pardew has been busy in the transfer market this summer, having already secured permanent deals for France midfielder Yohan Cabaye and for…

After Virgil van Dijk became the latest player to take the much-travelled route from the south coast to Merseyside, you could be forgiven for thinking Southampton are a feeder club for Liverpool.

Liverpool made a statement before the January transfer window even opened, returning to their favourite shopping centre – St Mary s – to prise Dutch centre-back Van Dijk to Anfield for a reported fee of £75million in a club-record move.

Sadio Mane, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Nathaniel Clyne and Rickie Lambert have also swapped Southampton for fellow Premier League outfit Liverpool since 2014.

Some of those transfers have worked out, while others have struggled. We take a look at those who have made the journey north from St Mary s to Anfield.

RIC…

Manchester United are ready to make Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane their top transfer target next summer, .

The Premier League giants, who were strongly linked with a move for fellow Real man Sergio Romero last month, have been keen on signing the defender for four years and have not given up on their hopes of securing his services.

The France international is behind Ramos and Pepe in the pecking order at the Bernabeu and United manager Louis van Gaal is hopeful that come the end of this season, he will be keen to find a club where he can be a first team regular.

Varane moved to Madrid from Lens in the summer of 2011 and has since racked up one hundred and nineteen appearances for the club in all competitions, scoring six goals while he was part of the squad …

Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he would rejoin Manchester United if given the opportunity, claiming he could easily do a job in the Premier League at the age of 37.

The LA Galaxy forward, who moved from Old Trafford to the MLS club in March 2018 on a free transfer, scored 28 goals in all competitions during an impressive first season at United in 2016-17.

A knee ligament injury curtailed his Red Devils career, but he has now recovered and is back to his prolific best, scoring six goals in his last three appearances for Galaxy.

The former Sweden international, who once described himself as a lion, not a human , still follows United s results.

The lion still roars, yes, he said. I could still play easily in the Premier League.

If United need me, I m her…

Swansea City have re-signed forward Andre Ayew from West Ham United, according to Sky Sports.

The South Wales outfit have shelled out a club record fee for the Ghana international which, after add-ons, is equal to the £20m they received for him from the Hammers eighteen months ago.

During his first spell with the Swans, Ayew racked up thirty-five appearances in all competitions, scoring twelve goals.

He also netted twelve times for West Ham but took a further six months to reach that tally.

Prior to his move to the Premier League, the twenty-eight year old played over two hundred times for Marsielle while internationally he has been capped seventy-five times for his country, scoring fourteen goals two of which came at the 2014 World Cup finals in B…

Leandro Paredes hopes Lionel Messi can be convinced to leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain.

The Ligue 1 champions sporting director Leonardo confirmed on Monday that the club are keeping a close eye on Messi s plans.

The six-time Ballon d Or winner is in the final six months of his contract at Camp Nou and could decide to leave on a free transfer after this season, having failed to engineer an exit in 2020.

Paredes would love his compatriot to move to the Parc des Princes, telling reporters on Thursday:  It s natural to want him on your team. But that will be his decision.

It s the club s responsibility to try to convince him. I hope we can have him with us. But, I repeat, it s his decision.

Paredes is already enjoying working with another …

Jurgen Klopp saluted Joel Matip as one of his best signings at Liverpool following the Cameroonian defender s emergence as a regular at centre-back this season.

Matip, 28, joined Liverpool in 2016 having come through the ranks at Schalke, where he was a first-team starter as young as 18.

He made 49 Premier League starts across his first two campaigns in the Premier League, but often found himself out of the side last term as Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez offered competition.

However, this season Matip has played all but one of Liverpool s six Premier League games, seemingly establishing himself as the first-choice partner of Virgil van Dijk ahead of Gomez.

And Klopp commended the Germany-born centre-back s development since joining on a free transfer, rating…