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Chelsea have spent a king's ransom on the transfer front since the arrival of new owner Todd Boehly last year but will continue to tinker away this summer, and Barcelona phenom Raphinha has been distinguished.

What's the latest on Raphinha to Chelsea?

Last summer, Chelsea were homing in on a £55m transfer for Raphinha after taking the lead in the race, ahead of Arsenal and Barcelona, before the La Liga giants stole in at the eleventh hour and snagged the ace from Blues clutches.

La Blaugrana's financial troubles have been well documented this term, and a score of players are at risk of transfer as the club looks to balance the books, with Raphinha at the epicentre of the strife.

And now, according to journalist Simon Phillips, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the Blues remain interested in the 26-year-old.

He said: "Yeah, this is one to watch for sure. I was told months ago that Chelsea were still keeping tabs on Raphinha, even after he joined Barcelona. He was fairly close to joining Chelsea at one point before Barcelona came in.

“Many at Chelsea still like him. Obviously, he chose Barcelona, they were his dream and he made that pretty clear publicly as well, but Chelsea have still been there."

Who could Raphinha replace at Chelsea?

The "magician" – as once heralded by former teammate Dan James – was superlative for the Whites as they cemented their stature in the Premier League after promotion from the second tier.

The 5 foot 9 machine scored 11 goals and supplied three assists in the English top-flight last year, imperative as Leeds staved off the threat of relegation.

This season, Raphinha has only started 15 times in La Liga but has collected nine goals and nine assists apiece across all competitions, continuing his Midas touch in front of goal at Elland Road and now growing into his skin as a prolific outlet.

As per FBref, the £212k-per-week phenom ranks among the top 12% of attacking midfielders and wingers for total shots, the top 14% for attempted passes and the top 8% for progressive passes received per 90, which illustrates a dynamic, rounded skill set and efficacy in both direct and supporting offensive roles.

He would be the optimum replacement for Hakim Ziyech, who has not always been a regular presence in the starting line-up since his £33m move from Ajax in 2020, this season failing to score and registering just one assist from 19 appearances, also agonisingly seeing a winter transfer to Paris Saint-Germain fail to materialise due to a deadline day error.

The £100k-per-week Ziyech ranks among the top 4% of positional peers for total shots and the top 6% for attempted passes per 90, mirroring Raphinha's approach from his right-wing berth, who would seamlessly integrate into manager Graham Potter's squad in the Moroccan's stead.

Whether Boehly and his team would be able to whittle down the price for the 16-cap star remains to be seen, but given Chelsea's affluence and willingness to spend the big bucks under their American owner, parting with roughly £600m since last summer, Raphinha's name could well be chalked into Blues books in short time.

Chelsea are "interested" in signing Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone in the summer transfer window, according to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Who is Manu Kone?

The Blues could be looking to make midfield reinforcements at the end of the season, with that area of the pitch starting to look a little tired over the last few months. N'Golo Kante is now 31 years of age and Mateo Kovacic turns 29 later this year – Jorginho has also left to join Arsenal, impacting negatively on squad depth – so an injection of youth is needed in the middle of the park.

One player who has been linked with a move to Chelsea is Kone, who is currently catching the eye hugely with his performances for Monchengladbach. The 21-year-old has started 24 matches in the Bundesliga this season, winning an average of 2.6 tackles per game, as well as one interception per match.

There could be a fierce battle for the young Frenchman's signature this summer, perhaps predominantly from Bundesliga clubs like Bayern Munich, who are well known for their ability to poach top talent from their own league.

Chelsea to swoop for midfielder?

Taking to Twitter, Romano claimed that Chelsea are one of several big clubs eyeing up a summer transfer for the highly-rated Kone, although it may not be plain sailing for them to get their man:

"Manu Kone will be one of the big names on the market — understand he could be leave ‘Gladbach for a minumum of €50m plus add-ons as price tag. Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United interested in the midfielder… race still open."

Kone could be exactly the type of player Chelsea are looking to sign this summer, with his potential through the roof, being described as "fantastic" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig. At 21, he should only improve as a player and he could potentially be viewed as the perfect player to partner Enzo Fernandez in the long-term.

The seven-cap France international possesses not only his aforementioned tackling tenacity off the ball but also technical quality on it, enjoying an 86.9% pass completion rate in the league this season, also chipping in with one goal and assist apiece for good measure.

While the transfer fee that Monchengladbach could likely demand will be high – €50m is about £44m – Kone's long-term ceiling means that there is every chance that he will pay it back handsomely in the years that pass, as he potentially becomes one of the best midfielders in Europe.

Newcastle United continued their rampant recent form with a thumping 5-1 victory over relegation strugglers West Ham United on Wednesday evening, with Eddie Howe’s side strengthening their hold on third place in the Premier League.

Just a matter of days after overpowering top-four rivals Manchester United, the Magpies looked rather ferocious again at the London Stadium, with both Callum Wilson and Joelinton netting a brace, while substitute Alexander Isak bagged his fourth goal from his last four top-flight games.

On a day of overwhelming positives for the St James’ Park outfit, it was undoubtedly that man Wilson who stole the headlines, with the England international yet again proving a thorn in the side of the Hammers after bagging his 11th and 12th goal against yesterday’s opponents in just 13 career meetings.

We at Football FanCast had suggested prior to the match that it would be an astute move to slot the 31-year-old back into the starting lineup due to that stellar record against the Irons, with the Coventry-born ace undoubtedly warranting the faith of his manager after getting the nod over man of the moment, Isak.

While Wilson’s impact may have perhaps been expected due to his remarkable history in the fixture, there were few who anticipated the returning Joelinton to also bag a double, with the Brazilian maestro proving yet again just why he has been “magic” for Howe this season, as per Simon L’Estrange.

How did Joelinton perform against West Ham?

After only featuring off the bench against the Red Devils last Sunday – after serving a two-game suspension prior to that – the 26-year-old more than made his mark after replacing Joe Willock in the starting XI, having been a “tireless” presence in the centre of the park, according to writer James Nalton.

The ‘rock solid’ machine – as hailed by the Chronicle’s Lee Ryder – showed great composure to round the advancing Lukasz Fabianski to bag his first of the night – and Newcastle’s second – before capping a fine individual and collective performance with another goal at the death from the angle.

The £85k-per-week man was truly “outstanding” on the night – according to the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope – with his 8.5 match rating, as per Sofascore, the highest of any player for either side.

That stellar rating was more than justified due to the 27-pass ace’s all-round display, having also proved a real asset in a defensive sense after winning six total duels and earning two fouls for his side.

While the former Hoffenheim powerhouse did lose possession on 14 occasions, he was able to offer a real dynamic and creative threat in the final third after registering one key pass and completing his solitary dribble attempt, with the home side having simply been unable to live with his desire to surge forward from deep.

Following his recent absence from the side, Joelinton certainly reminded both his manager and supporters of his importance to the Magpies’ midfield machine, with it set to prove difficult to dislodge the all-action hero from now on.

Liverpool will head to west London for their Premier League clash with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tomorrow evening and Jurgen Klopp will be hoping his team can quickly improve upon their tired performance against Manchester City.

The Reds are currently eighth in the top flight following their 4-1 defeat at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and the side are running out of chances to close the gap to Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur in the race for a Champions League qualifying spot.

Indeed, Chelsea are in a much worse position than Liverpool at this stage of the season and there is an opportunity there for them to capitalise on Graham Potter's poor form if the team can bring the energy needed to take all three points.

Many issues can be pinpointed to blame in Liverpool's humiliating loss against Man City, but none more so than the lack of urgency and effort put into the second half of the performance – with the Reds only claiming 25% possession, zero shots on target and only 124 accurate passes completed in the final 45 minutes.

As a result, Klopp desperately needs to inject some fresh perspectives and energy into the team with Darwin Nunez the perfect player to bring unpredictability and a huge threat to his opponents under the lights on Tuesday night.

Will Darwin Nunez start vs Chelsea?

The £140k-per-week goal machine started on the bench last weekend after withdrawing from the Uruguay squad over the international break due to an injury, but did make a 20-minute cameo when he replaced Mohammed Salah.

However, Nunez should instead replace Cody Gakpo to form a front three of Diogo Jota and the Egyptian against Chelsea following the Dutchman's lacklustre display at the weekend.

Over his 82-minute performance, Gakpo – dubbed "comical" for his dive against Pep Guardiola's side by journalist Simon Evans – had no shots on or off target, completed just 12 accurate passes, found himself being played offside twice and failed to complete any aerial duels, proving that he was relatively ineffective in front of goal.

Nunez – who was hailed an "agent of chaos" by Liverpool Echo's Theo Squires – has tallied up 14 goals and four assists over his 34 appearances in all competitions and has no trouble getting stuck into challenges.

Indeed, he thrives when competing for the ball with defenders – an asset that will make him extremely valuable in a clash against another troubled side.

With that being said, it will be interesting to see if Klopp makes some big changes to his starting XI after the embarrassing display put on by his team last Saturday, as snatching a victory away from home tomorrow will be crucial to ease their chase for Champions League football next season.

Wolverhampton Wanderers could see their January target, Geoffery Kondogbia, made available for a transfer in the summer from Atletico Madrid.

Are Wolves interested in Kondogbia?

It was reported over the January transfer window that the Premier League outfit were interested in the potential signing of the Central African midfielder.

Indeed, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano tweeted the following just a matter of weeks ago: "Understand Wolves approached Atleti for Kondogbia in January — PL clubs, monitoring him for July."

The 30-year-old is set to go into the summer market with just 12 months remaining on his current deal with Diego Simeone's side.

And this comes at a time when Wolves are expected to lose one of their main players with Ruben Neves reportedly set to leave the club in the summer.

In addition, their big-money signing, Matheus Nunes, has also been linked with a potential move away which could leave the Wanderers with a huge hole in the middle of the pitch.

However, it seems as if they could be handed an opportunity to bolster their squad with the expected availability of the former Inter Milan midfielder.

Speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Fabrizio Romano has claimed the 30-year-old is now expected to be put on the market for a potential exit from the Metropolitan Stadium:

(14:25) "And then Kondogbia because, in January, Kondogbia had some opportunity. I heard he had something with Wolves and other clubs in the Premier League but Atletico decided to keep him. I think in the summer he could be one of the players to leave."

Could Kondogbia replace Neves?

Kondogbia's game time under Simeone has taken a major blow over recent weeks with the midfielder having not made it off the bench since January (via Transfermarkt).

The £116k-per-week ace has racked up 10 starts in La Liga and 16 appearances in total in the Spanish top flight but it has become apparent he is not in the plans of the Atleti manager.

In comparison, Neves has been a key figure in the Wolves side for a number of years now with the captain having made 28 starts in the league alone this season (via Transfermarkt).

Kondogbia has been hailed as a midfield "monster" in the past by former talkSPORT man James Dodds and it is clear to see why when he ranks inside the top percentile for interceptions made (via Fbref).

Caveated by the fact Kondogbia's game time has been much more constricted than Neves', the Atletico midfielder has offered more tackles per 90 minutes (3.36) than the Wolves midfielder (2.39) (via FBref).

However, the Wolves man has provided much more shot-creating actions (2.25) than the 30-year-old (1.12) which does highlight their differences in an attacking sense.

But it seems as if Wolves could face competition for the midfielder who could – at least defensively – provide a good option for Julen Lopetegui in the summer.

The 49ers Enterprises’ proposed takeover of Leeds United “is essentially done” but is “contingent” on the club remaining in the Premier League, David Ornstein reports.

What’s the latest Leeds takeover news on the 49ers?

The 49ers have the option to take full control in Yorkshire from Andrea Radrizzani until January 2024. Phil Hay stated last month that a takeover was looking likely this summer, although recent reports have suggested that there are genuine fears relegation could see the American investors walk away from a proposed deal.

Reliable reporter Ornstein was talking to NBC Sports Soccer prior to on Monday evening regarding Leeds’ future and a potential 49ers takeover.

Relayed by MOT Leeds News, Ornstein said that a takeover “is essentially done”, however, it is “contingent on Leeds being in the Premier League”, stating that financially, relegation would be “massive”.

“The cost of relegation would be massive for them and that’s why we’re on tenterhooks here: ‘If we’re interested in Leeds United not only from a financial perspective but from a football one as well.’

“I understand that the deal is essentially done but it’s contingent on Leeds being in the Premier League, retaining their status in the Premier League and that’s why it makes their survival so important.”

Huge few months both on and off the pitch

Leeds find themselves in a similar position to last season on the pitch with seven games remaining, and relegation could impact the club hugely going forward.

It appears as if there could well be a rethink from the 49ers if Leeds go down, but if Javi Gracia guides the Whites to a fourth season in the top flight, it would be all change at the top.

Therefore, it looks set to be an eventful few months both on and off the pitch no matter what, and Radrizzani may well be desperate for the club to stay up so he can sell and move on, possibly to a share in Inter Milan after recent speculation.

Tottenham Hotspur know a defeat would put a serious dent in their chances of making a late push for the top four when they travel to Anfield to face Liverpool in the Premier League this afternoon.

Under the stewardship of interim coach Ryan Mason once more, the Lilywhites came from behind to earn a point against Manchester United in midweek and will be hoping to build on that form today.

The Reds, meanwhile, could leapfrog Spurs with a victory, so a lot is at stake and after such a poor start to the season, the Merseyside giants are finally starting to show some life by going unbeaten in their last five outings, including 13 goals in their last four matches.

Of course, a frontline containing Mohamed Salah is always going to be dangerous and Mason must plan for his threat, particularly if Trent Alexander-Arnold reverts back to his natural right-back role.

Will Ivan Perisic or Ben Davies start vs Liverpool?

As such, the 31-year-old caretaker could be taking far too much of a risk to start Ivan Perisic at left wing-back.

The Croatian vet has delivered three goal contributions in his last six top-flight appearances and leads the squad for total assists (seven) but he may lack the defensive nous and speed to combat Salah and Alexander-Arnold for 90 minutes.

Indeed, 12 other players in the current squad average more tackles and interceptions per 90 than Perisic, whilst he ranks third overall for challenges lost (0.80 per 90), via FBref, which may suggest that he'd be in for a rather trick afternoon against a player that has scored 27 goals and provided 11 assists across 45 appearances this term.

Salah's threat is undoubted, though to reinforce that, he ranks fourth in the Premier League for total shots on target and expected goals, as per FBref.

It could, therefore, be wise for Mason to opt for the more defensively-sound and "reliable player" Ben Davies – as once lauded by his former manager Antonio Conte.

As a natural left-back, the £28m-rated Wales stalwart has often been deployed as a left-sided centre-back in a back-three and very rarely as a wing-back.

However, in the four appearances he has been deployed there, Spurs are unbeaten, having kept two clean sheets against West Ham United and Chelsea. He even popped up with an assist against the former too.

Having once been hailed as a "beast of a player" and "world-class" by statistical analyst Ben Griffis only last year, the 30-year-old could be an ideal candidate to help silence Salah and co at Anfield later this afternoon.

He – and likely Clement Lenglet – could double up on him down the left-hand side, allowing Heung-min Son some space to counter-attack Alexander-Arnold, who himself is rather suspect defensively.

Spurs rarely defeat Liverpool, especially on their own turf, but Mason could aid his team's chances by unleashing Davies over Perisic in his starting XI, given the evidence above.

Insider ExWHUEmployee has revealed that Paulo Fonseca is potentially a candidate to replace David Moyes at West Ham United should the 59-year-old leave this summer.

What are the latest West Ham manager rumours?

It's been a rather odd season for the Hammers as they've battled without particularly impressing in the Premier League and are still just about in danger of being relegated.

At the same time, the same set of players could be on the verge of glory as they've made it all the way to a European semi-final and play AZ Alkmaar this week as they look to go all the way in the Europa Conference League.

With that being the case, there is a lingering uncertainty around the position of Moyes and it seems as though the club are certainly making some moves behind the scenes already should they decide to part ways with the current manager at the end of the season.

Indeed, while talking recently on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex revealed that current Lille boss Fonseca is one man who appears to be on the Iron's radar.

He explained (8:34): "There has been talks that we really like Paulo Fonseca, who is the manager, Portuguese manager, of Lille.

"He used to manage Roma before that he's someone that apparently we have shown an interest in potentially being a candidate should Moyes go."

Would Fonseca be a good fit at West Ham?

The 50-year-old manager has had a reasonably good campaign in Ligue 1, and currently has Lille fifth in the division. This is his first season managing the French club and with 17 wins, eight draws and eight losses so far, he has earned an average of 1.79 points per game.

When you compare that with what Moyes has done across 49 outings in total so far, the Scottish manager has won 22 games, drawn eight but worrying lost a notable 19 fixtures – for a points average of 1.51 per game.

With that being the case, it's easy to see why Fonseca could be viewed as a potential upgrade. Interestingly enough, while he hasn't worked in the Premier League before, the former Roma manager was very close to joining Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2021.

Seeing as things didn't go well for Nuno Espirito Santo or Antonio Conte, perhaps Spurs may wish they'd opted for Fonseca instead.

Their error in judgement could be of benefit to West Ham though and it will be interesting to see if they do want to change managers this summer and if they view the 50-year-old as an ideal replacement for Moyes.

West Ham are planning to snap up Djibril Sow this summer as a potential replacement for Declan Rice, according to Football Insider.

What's the latest news on Djibril Sow to West Ham?

The midfielder has been impressing for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga over the last four years, having featured in over 100 games for the German outfit and yet never dropping below an average rating of 6.62 on WhoScored (for the domestic league).

He really made his mark though in the Europa League for his club, having come up against the Hammers in that competition. He made quite the impression too in the second leg of that tie, as Frankfurt claimed a 1-0 win. Sow scored a rating of 7.4 on SofaScore, which was actually higher than Declan Rice's 7.2. It was the Switzerland international who helped to knock the Hammers out of the competition, in what was described as a "nightmare evening" for the Premier League side.

Having shone in those fixtures, David Moyes is now seemingly eager to add the midfielder to his squad this summer. Football Insider reports that West Ham have done plenty of scouting on the 26-year-old and with only a year left on his contract, are planning to raid the German outfit for his services.

The report also states that Moyes feels he could be a suitable replacement for Rice in the centre of the field. The England international has once more been linked with a move away – Arsenal are hopeful of transfer talks with the midfielder – the Hammers could be left with a hole in their side which Sow could fill.

Would Djibril Sow be a good West Ham addition?

The Switzerland international looks like he could be a real force if he did make the move over to the Premier League, and with the Hammers not thriving as much as they did in the last campaign, a fresh face in the middle could be a boost.

Even if it does come as a replacement for Rice, West Ham would be getting an excellent addition in Sow. He has top-level experience, having played in Europe and on the international stage and won trophies, and has proven his mettle against English opposition too.

His talent is clear to see, with journalist Sam Smith labelling Sow as "combative" and "progressive on the ball." This is proven by the fact he currently averages 1.37 interceptions per 90, showing he is not afraid to get back and break up opposition attacks, but also the fact he manages 6.59 progressive passes per 90 on average too (via FBRef). Sow gets about the field with ease and puts a shift in at both ends – something which could really benefit David Moyes and West Ham.

Everton have found themselves in a precarious position in the Premier League once again with another relegation battle on their hands this season and Farhad Moshiri is seemingly paying for his mistakes.

Since becoming the majority stakeholder of the club back in February 2016, Moshiri has splashed the cash with over £600m spent on transfers in a reckless recruitment drive to satisfy seven permanent managers that have left the Toffees with nothing more than financial troubles and relegation scraps at the bottom of the top flight table.

The Goodison Park faithful would have been hopeful that after a few poor choices the powerbrokers would have learned their lesson, but even after a real threat of relegation last term, the club have continued to make all the wrong decisions with the signing of Neal Maupay, the latest poor decision by the club.

It was reported back in March that Everton are already open to the idea of selling the striker after failing to make an impact at the club with just one goal scored since his £15m move from Brighton and Hove Albion last summer.

How much is Neal Maupay worth?

The Toffees have struggled to score enough goals to compete in the Premier League this season, especially since the departure of Richarlison and Anthony Gordon alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin's ongoing injury issues over the last 18 months.

In fact, Everton have scored the second-fewest number of goals in the entire top flight, which has been a huge contributor to their relegation fight, with Maupay struggling to get into good form in front of goal to help save their campaign.

Over 25 league appearances, the 26-year-old Frenchman has been "wasteful" – as per writer Tom Childs – having only scored once and registered no assists.

His seven big chances missed are an indication of just how poor he's been, averaging just 0.6 shots on target, 0.2 successful dribbles and 12.6 touches per game to boot.

As a result, Maupay is the fourth worst-rated player in the entire squad – as per Sofascore – proving that the player has been a passenger throughout Everton's plight this season and another transfer disaster for Moshiri.

In that regard, there have been plenty in Maupay's position throughout the years, whether it be Sandro Ramirez, who found the net just four times, or the enigmatic Cenk Tosun.

However, despite the latter's slim involvement throughout his time at Goodison, he still produced more than the French flop.

Indeed, while Maupay has the solitary goal involvement for Everton, Tosun scored 11 goals and registered six assists for the club in 61 outings.

The former's lack of effort in the final third has unsurprisingly adversely affected his market value, with CIES Football Observatory detailing that he is now worth just €5m (£4m), which is 70% less than the club paid for him less than a year ago.

With that being said, there is no doubt that Everton should offload the striker in the summer should they receive offers to recoup even the smallest amount of the money they have invested.