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According to Football Insider, Glasgow Rangers star Alfredo Morelos is likely to be sold this summer, with Steven Gerrard’s side banking at least £15m from the striker’s potential sale.

What’s the word?

Morelos has been nothing short of a revelation for Rangers since joining the club from HJK Helsinki on a three-year deal in 2017.

Since his debut, he has scored 90 goals, recording a further 42 assists, in 171 appearances across all competitions during his time in Scotland and has already broken Ally McCoist’s European goalscoring record this season.

The 24-year-old had apparently made up his mind to leave Rangers last year and his desire to leave the Light Blues was no secret in the summer.

However, Rangers refused to sell their prized asset, and the centre-forward has continued his fine form in the Europa League, racking up three goals and six assists in eight appearances in the competition this season.

Football Insider claims this would in turn significantly increase his market value if he can continue to repeat his Europa League exploits for the remainder of the campaign.

His stats suggest he should be able to do this, given his excellent goal record for Rangers, having made 33 appearances this season with 13 goals and 12 assists to show for his 27 starts.

Good news for Ross Wilson?

Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has developed a reputation as one of the most successful negotiators in the transfer market, and his handling of this ongoing transfer saga should only reinforce that view.

It seems Morelos is now worth at least £15m, showing Rangers have benefited from refusing to sell him in the summer, as this figure could rise between now and the end of this season.

Reports at the time revealed French Ligue 1 leaders Lille were apparently only willing to offer €15m (£13m) plus €2m (£1.8m) in add-ons for the Colombia international, which was swiftly rebuffed by the 54-time Scottish champions.

With Rangers posting an annual loss of £15.9m in their most recent financial report, selling a top-class centre-forward for such a huge amount of money would make perfect business sense.

Wilson, therefore, should be praised for making the most of the situation and maximising the value of an unsettled player potentially set to depart Ibrox this summer.

AND in other news, Nathan Patterson earns shot at redemption amid James Tavernier injury blow…

Former Manchester United man Keith Gillespie has told The Transfer Tavern that the club need to sign a striker who can score 25 goals a season if they want to challenge at the top end of the Premier League.

The club are currently second in the table but they sit eight points behind leaders Manchester City.

Both Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford have scored 20 or more goals this season but Gillespie believes that the club need an out-and-out striker who can play alongside them and forge a fearsome trio at the top of the pitch.

Indeed, he refers back to Ruud van Nistelrooy, who scored 150 goals for United, and Andy Cole, who netted 121, as players who could consistently put the ball in the back of the net.

Indeed, United are likely to lose Edinson Cavani this summer, per reports, with the Uruguay international likely to move back to South America, per reports, leaving a void that will need to be filled.

Speaking exclusively to TT, Gillespie said: “I think that’s what Man United have needed for a few years.

“You think about United’s strikers of the past, you think about Van Nistelrooy and Andy Cole, players like that, real instinctive goalscorers, who just come alive in the box.

“United have got a lot of players who contribute goals, you think of Rashford, Fernandes especially, if you add in a striker who’s going to get you 20 or 25 goals a season, then you really can challenge.”

Kevin De Bruyne sent a hilarious message to Erling Haaland after setting up four of the Manchester City star's five goals at Luton in the FA Cup.

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• De Bruyne's hilarious message to Haaland
• Provided four assists to Haaland against Luton
• Man City thrashed Luton 6-2 in FA Cup

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Belgian midfield star contributed with four assists as Haaland found the back of the net five times in Manchester City's 6-2 demolition of Luton Town to progress to the FA Cup quarter-finals. A day after running riot against the Hatters, De Bruyne took to social media to send a hilarious message to colleague Haaland.

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• WHAT KEVIN DE BRUYNE SAID

  On Instagram, De Bruyne shared a series of photographs from their rout of Luton and wrote a caption that read: "Good morning, how may I assist you?"

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Since joining the Cityzens, the Norwegian goal machine has broken multiple records and scored eight hat-tricks, but this was the first time that the forward netted three or more times in an away match for the club. After the game, he had thanked De Bruyne for his assists as he hailed the 32-year-old as 'massive'.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER CITY?

  Pep Guardiola's side will now head into the Manchester derby full of confidence as they are all set to host their rivals United in an important Premier League clash on Sunday.

Jake Hesketh was once considered a bright young prospect at Southampton who looked capable of breaking into the first team, but the midfielder is now 25 years old and is struggling on loan in League Two with Crawley Town, so he must be shown the door this summer.

The Saints academy graduate scored on his full debut in a League Cup win against Crystal Palace in 2016, having made two substitute appearances in the Premier League in the 2014/15 season.

He was rewarded by Claude Puel with another appearance in the Europa League in a 0-0 draw against Hapoel Be’er Sheva later in the season, but this was the last time he played for the Southampton first team, meaning he hasn’t made a senior Saints appearance in nearly five years.

In December 2016, the attacking midfielder was rewarded with a new four-and-a-half-year deal, which runs until the summer of 2021, so they clearly had a lot of faith in his ability and his potential to become a first team regular in the future.

However, after spending some time in the Southampton B team, Hesketh was sent out on his first loan spell to Burton Albion, where he contributed three goals and one assist in 23 League One appearances.

Two more loan spells at MK Dons and Lincoln City followed, although he struggled to have much impact at either club and was sent on loan to Crawley Town for the 2020/21 campaign.

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It represents a serious decline for the midfielder that he was sent on loan to a struggling League Two side having previously been in League One, although his performances this season suggest that even the fourth tier might be a stretch too far for him.

In 15 league appearances this season, the 25-year-old has managed no goals and just one assist, averaging a disappointing 6.45 WhoScored match rating for his performances.

It is clear that Hesketh is never going to make it at Southampton and it seems almost remarkable that he has been kept on their books for so long; and you could definitely suggest that he has been stealing a wage with the south coast club for the past few seasons.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

Fortunately for Ralph Hasenhuttl, the midfielder’s contract is finally set to expire this summer, so the Austrian must ensure that Hesketh finally leaves the club and hopefully finds his feet somewhere else. Sadly, after a promising start with Southampton, his career has seriously declined.

In other news… Semmens should seal Saints swoop for £3.15m-rated beast dubbed “the next Kompany”

Manchester United minority investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe has echoed Sir Alex Ferguson by vowing to knock Liverpool and Manchester City "off their perch".

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• Ratcliffe wants United to chase down City & Liverpool
• But says it will take three years to win another title
• Also defended the unpopular Glazer family

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rashford gave a series of interviews on Wednesday after finally completing his purchase of a 25 percent stake in United. As well as addressing the future of Mason Greenwood, Ratcliffe vowed to restore United to their former glories and chase down local rivals City and Liverpool.

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  WHAT RATCLIFFE SAID

  "In the north west we have two neighbours who are really impressive football clubs. I want to knock them all off their perch," Ratcliffe told the . "We are friends in the sense we're all in the north west but they are our biggest enemies. They are clearly our biggest competitors in the UK. [We are] a long way behind. It's not going to change tomorrow. People unfortunately need to give us time to get back. It will be two to three seasons. Patience is needed. Spending money lavishly in the summer is not the solution, it is much more complicated than that."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ferguson famously said his greatest achievement as United manager was "knocking Liverpool off their perch" after ending almost two decades of dominance from the Red Devils' greatest rivals. Since retiring in 2013, City have overtaken United as the premier force in Manchester while Liverpool have staged a resurgence, winning the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020. They currently lead the Premier League title race, closely followed by City and Arsenal, with United way back in sixth.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  To buy his stake in United, Ratcliffe had to beat off competition from Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, who was only interested in purchasing the club outright. Ratcliffe's deal instead allowed the much-hated Glazer family to remain in control of the club. And the INEOS chief risked the wrath of supporters by calling the Glazers "very nice people." He added: "I only know Joel and Avram and they are, despite what you might read in the press, very nice people, very courteous and they are avid supporters of Manchester United. I understand the frustrations and the anger [of supporters] but I am looking forward not backward."

Lionel Messi almost got his 2024 MLS season off to the perfect start with a brilliant free-kick attempt in Inter Miami's first game.

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• Inter Miami beat RSL in home-opener
• Messi nearly scores amazing free-kick
• Cleared off line by opposition defender

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Messi stepped up to take an ambitious free-kick from all of 30 yards early on in Inter Miami's opening game of the MLS season. The former Barcelona and PSG man whipped a brilliant effort towards the top corner with his left foot, only to see Real Salt Lake's Justen Glad positioned perfectly on the goal-line. The defender helped out his frozen goalkeeper, heading the ball off the line to keep the score level at 0-0. Glad's clearance denied Messi his first goal of the season, but Miami would still go on to pick up all three points.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The Argentine has been known for trademark direct free-kicks his entire career. In fact, on his Herons debut in July, 2023, the maestro drilled home a brilliant shot from a dead ball to win it in stoppage time for Inter Miami.

  Despite Messi being denied this time, Tata Martino's side would go on to win their MLS opener 2-0 thanks to goals either side of half-time from Robert Taylor and Diego Gomez.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR LIONEL MESSI AND INTER MIAMI?

  Messi and the Herons will look to make it two wins from two when they take on the Los Angeles Galaxy Sunday evening in their second game of the MLS season. The Argentine will be hoping to grab his first goal of the campaign in California, having played a key role in both of Miami's strikes against Real Salt Lake.

Presenter Lynsey Hipgrave's awkward question left Peter Crouch and Joe Cole laughing hysterically on live TV.

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• TNT Sports presenter has Cole & Crouch in hysterics
• Hipgrave asks Crouch whether 'size matters'
• Cole jokes 'you'll have to ask the Mrs!'

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Liverpool players were joined by TNT presenter Hipgrave on the sideline of the Gtech Community Stadium where Brentford face the Reds in a Premier League fixture. The duo were unable to contain their laughter after Hipgrave posed the question, 'Does size matter?' live on air.

  After hearing the question, Crouch couldn't control himself and said: "Oh, Lyns… what a question!" Cole added: "You'll have to ask the Mrs!" and then burst out laughing himself.

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  It's a must-win game for Jurgen Klopp's side if they want to retain top spot in the league table. They are currently two points above Manchester City, who take on Chelsea later on Saturday in the Premier League. Mohamed Salah finally returned to the matchday squad against The Bees, although he did not make it into the starting line-up.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  After facing Brentford on Saturday, Klopp's men will next take on Luton Town in another league clash on Wednesday before meeting Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final on February 25.

Sarina Wiegman has already called up some new faces since reaching the World Cup final, and there are plenty more where they came from

It’s been a pretty good couple of years for the England women’s national team. Between winning the European Championships in 2022 and reaching the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, the Lionesses have firmly asserted themselves as a power on the world stage under head coach Sarina Wiegman.

There’s been a lot of growth domestically, too, with the Women’s Super League blossoming into one of the very best places on the planet to play football. The league continues to be an extremely attractive proposition around the world, with some 36 nations represented by its 12 clubs.

But the WSL is also still a place for the best young English talent to thrive. Twenty of the 23 names called up by Wiegman in October ply their trade in their home country, and the stars of the future are getting their opportunities to shine, too, even if the talent pool is expanding massively.

Many of those in the Lionesses’ youth teams have been grabbing the attention in this season’s WSL already, then, despite it still being in its very early stages, and Wiegman has shown that she’s ready to reward that form, calling-up youngsters Khiara Keating and Grace Clinton for the first time in October as a result.

But those two are not the only exciting prospects giving England fans a reason to look forward to the future, either. Here are nine that have caught GOAL’s eye so far in this WSL season…

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  Brooke Aspin (Bristol City, on loan from Chelsea)

  Set to join up with Chelsea next summer after signing a four-year contract this past summer, Brooke Aspin has been shining for Bristol City ever since she broke into the first team as a 16-year-old, so it’s no surprise that she’s already been snapped up by a top club despite not venturing out of those teenage years just yet.

  On loan with the Robins this season after helping them win promotion to the top-flight last term, the young centre-back has already come up with a huge moment as the club bids to battle the odds and avoid relegation. Away at West Ham in early November, she rose highest to meet Megan Connolly’s free-kick and head home a goal that would give Bristol their first win and first points of the campaign.

  Aspin tops the charts within the City squad for blocks and interceptions, and she is fantastic with the ball at her feet, too. Underpinning the 18-year-old’s performances this season, though, have been leadership qualities that belie her years. Captain of England’s Under-19s, her character and maturity really stands out, and she has the story of a fighter, too.

  Last year, Aspin battled a bone infection, a blood clot and sepsis – and still managed to get back onto the pitch before the end of the season to help Bristol win promotion. “I see life as something that you just have to enjoy, you have to live every moment now,” she told . “As soon as I walk out on that pitch, then I’m loving every moment because I’m playing what I love and I may not have got that opportunity before.”

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  Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea)

  Another young talent on Chelsea’s books, Aggie Beever-Jones has represented the Blues since she was a young girl and this season, after loan spells with Bristol City and Everton, she’s starting to get her first-team opportunities, scoring three goals in just four substitute appearances in the WSL so far. She’s averaging a goal every 21 minutes.

  “She stretches teams, she gets in behind,” Chelsea boss Emma Hayes said in October after the 20-year-old had netted the first of those three. "She has some work to do to know when to press, where to press, when not to double down, all of that detail. But she’s always in our offices asking for analysis.”

  Beever-Jones is quick, she’s deceptively strong and she’s versatile, too, capable of playing on either wing or as a central striker. Throw in her desire to make things happen and her unpredictability, and she’s becoming a fantastic impact substitute for the reigning WSL champions to turn to.

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  Laura Blindkilde Brown (Aston Villa)

  When GOAL spoke to Aston Villa boss Carla Ward earlier this year, she didn’t hold back in her praise for Laura Blindkilde Brown, the young midfielder who has been a regular starter for the Midlands club since she was just 18 years old.

  “Laura is one of the biggest talents I've ever worked with. She really is,” she said. “If she can start believing it… Because she has no idea just how good she can be and how good she is already. You have to keep reminding her every single day because she's just one of a kind. I've literally never worked with a youngster like her.”

  Those words say it all, really. It’s no surprise, then, that the Danish Football Association have tried to talk her into representing her mother’s side of the family, whom she wears the name ‘Blindkilde’ on the back of her shirt for. But the 20-year-old told GOAL last year that her dream is to play for England, the team she has long represented at youth level.

  An attack-minded midfielder who can also play out wide, Blindkilde Brown has bundles of energy, meaning she presses well, she is excellent at picking up spaces where she can hurt opponents and is generally just a bit of a nuisance for defenders. Her footwork and her love of the game, no doubt strengthened by a heart condition that almost forced her to stop playing a few years ago, make her a joy to watch.

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  Grace Clinton (Tottenham, on loan from Man Utd)

  A name that many have been keeping an eye on for a while, Grace Clinton threatened time and time again to break through at Everton, but the young midfielder sat largely on the fringes of the squad before joining Manchester United last year.

  Compared to Ella Toone by Red Devils boss Marc Skinner due to her ability to “make a magic moment”, first-team opportunities were going to be even harder to come by at a club that was battling for Champions League football (an injury didn’t help either), but Clinton has been able to thrive in her two loan spells since changing clubs in the north west.

  After scoring six goals in 12 games to help Bristol win promotion from the second tier last term, the 20-year-old has been so good for Tottenham at the start of this new season that she was called up by Wiegman to be part of the squad for England’s games against Belgium in October.

  Operating both as a left winger and a No.10 for Spurs, head coach Robert Vilahamn believes that a wide role is good for Clinton at this stage in her career as it is allowing her to find pockets of space gradually. He has no doubt what lies ahead for her, though. “In the future, she’s going to start as a No.10 in the national team,” he said last month. “I’m quite sure of that.”

Many Everton fans have been left to laud some comments made by Carlo Ancelotti ahead of their tie at Chelsea in the Premier League on Monday evening.

As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, the Italian boss said: “I am really happy to be the manager of this team and these players. I feel these players follow me. They have a lot of respect for my idea.”

The fact that Ancelotti is happy to be managing the Merseyside club is great to hear for Toffees supporters given his pedigree in the game, managing the likes of AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid.

The Blues do not have as much pedigree in Europe as some of the previous sides that he has managed, and so it really is a project to try and get EFC to that kind of level with him in charge.

Nonetheless, Ancelotti has done very well since taking charge at Everton, as they push to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the 2021/22 term.

Everton fan reaction to Ancelotti comments

These Everton fans lauded his comments on Twitter:

“Not enough superlatives to offer this man. The Don, The Professor, The Master Tactician, Mr. Champions League, Carlo Magnifico. Feel free to add anymore. Ancelotti wins Italian Style. Will do for me. He knows who he wants in the summer as well. Will keep us guessing. NSNO.”

Credit: @Jeffreyhitchmo1

“Not only does he man manage the players he knows how to man manage the supporters too. Simple words but they mean so much”

Credit: @albie1405

“But who’s not going to love and respect this wonderful and caring man? I do……”

Credit: @JoannaNasseh

“Best manager we’ve had in my lifetime. Wouldn’t swap him for anyone”

Credit: @EPollazzo

“This is the stuff of dreams #Everton @MrAncelotti”

Credit: @bluemaidstone

“This makes me very happy!! @peterostick”
Credit: @pauldevs

In other news, find out whose display was slammed against West Brom here!

Daniel Levy edged closer to finding his next Tottenham manager this week.

After suffering quick blows in his pursuit of RB Leipzig head coach Julian Nagelsmann, who opted to join Bayern Munich in the summer instead, and Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers, who doesn’t want to leave the Champions League-bound Foxes, Spurs are set to hold talks with another mooted target.

Reporting in The Guardian, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano revealed that the north Londoners will speak to Ajax’s Erik ten Hag in the coming days and the 51-year-old is keen to hear what the Lilywhites hierarchy has to offer.

A fresh update emerged on Friday which saw the Dutch boss sign a one-year extension with the Eredivisie champions but according to Romano, he has not turned down Spurs, and it was always their intention to make that decision, presumably to increase his value if any team is to prise him away.

The Dutchman has earned an impressive reputation at the Eredivisie giants, where they are on the cusp of clinching the league title once again. Since his appointment in December 2017, he has accrued a phenomenal win rate of 73%.

Ten Hag learned the bulk of his trade under Pep Guardiola when the pair were at Bayern Munich, with the former Twente centre-back taking charge of the ‘B’ team.

“I learned a lot from Guardiola,” Ten Hag said in February 2019. “His philosophy is sensational, what he did in Barcelona, Bayern and now with Manchester City, that attacking and attractive style sees him win a lot. It’s this structure that I’ve tried to implement with Ajax.”

At Ajax, the “exciting” manager has tinkered between a 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 system in a similar vein to Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs. “When it comes to Ten Hag’s favoured style of play, the Cruyffian influence is unavoidable,” claimed Will Magee for iNews. “There is a reason that his approach has been dubbed ‘Total Football 2.0’.”

This brand of football has allowed many a young talent to thrive, including the likes of Frenkie de Jong, who swapped Amsterdam for Barcelona in a £65m deal, and Donny van de Beek, who is now at Spurs’ top-flight rivals Manchester United.

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With an average squad age of just 24 at Ajax, it’s clear that Ten Hag is the perfect candidate if Levy is wanting to see the next crop of academy stars make it into the big time. This could be a game-changer for Oliver Skipp, perhaps more than any other Spurs prodigy.

The 20-year-old has enjoyed a successful loan spell at runaway Championship leaders Norwich City, where he has played in every single league game and earned serious praise.

Speaking to Sky Sports, his current Canaries teammate Kenny McLean said: “He makes my job a hell of a lot easier, I’ll tell you that. He’s been outstanding all season and we’re lucky to have him to be honest. For this level, he’s very outstanding and he’s got a huge career ahead of him.”

Norwich manager Daniel Farke has dubbed him everything ranging from “perfect” to being a “top player and also a top character.”

It’s widely thought that Skipp can become a real leader in Spurs’ midfield in the next few years. Jose Mourinho touted him for a huge role back in the summer, saying: “I see this kid being one day a future captain here by his character, by his personality.”

Therefore, appointing a coach like Ten Hag could be game-changing for his chances of achieving just that. He should be buzzing amid these latest developments, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Spurs should fear Jose Mourinho 2.0 amid worrying Jorge Mendes claims…