Nottingham Forest have now joined the race to sign an “extraordinary” Real Madrid player, who is tempted by a move to the Premier League.

Forest still keen to strengthen despite West Ham victory

Forest defeated West Ham United 2-1 at the London Stadium on Tuesday night, in what could prove to be a relegation six-pointer, and there is now much more breathing room near the bottom of the Premier League table, having moved seven points clear of Nuno’s side.

Sean Dyche praised his side for the way in which they responded to going a goal down in the first half, saying: “Well, [I’m] pleased obviously. Pleased with the mentality of the players.

“Awkward game for both sides and a lot of noise around the game. To go 1-0 down and stay calm and deliver a second half that can win the game is very pleasing.”

However, the Tricky Trees aren’t out of the woods just yet, as they remain in 17th place, which means it remains important to improve the squad this month, and they have now set their sights on a Real Madrid player.

That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, which reveals Nottingham Forest have joined the race to sign Andriy Lunin, with it possible the Spanish side could be willing to sanction a move in 2026, given that the goalkeeper has only received little game time.

The race for Lunin’s signature is heating up, with Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion also keen, which could be music to the Ukrainian’s ears, given that he is really tempted to move to the Premier League.

The Madrid ace’s entourage have already started to work on an exit from the Santiago Bernabéu, and there are plenty of signs he could be a success at the City Ground.

Related Dream Kalimuendo replacement: Nottingham Forest open talks to sign £40m star

Nottingham Forest have already identified a replacement for the outgoing Arnaud Kalimuendo this January.

Posts ByEthan Lamb "Extraordinary" Lunin is Champions League proven

Although the 26-year-old has been unable to establish himself as Madrid’s first-choice option between the sticks, he has proven himself at the very highest level in the past, making eight appearances in the 2023-24 Champions League, with his side going on to win the competition.

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After impressing against RB Leipzig in the round of 16 that year, the £76k-a-week shot-stopper was singled out for very high praise by CBS Sports’ Nico Cantor.

Forest may not need to bring in a new goalkeeper immediately, given that they already have Matz Sels, who won the Premier League Golden Glove award last season.

However, considering Sels is now 33-years-old, it is about time Dyche started to think about bringing in a long-term replacement, and Lunin, who needs to be playing regular football at this stage of his career, could be an exciting option.

This season, Manchester United’s striking options have certainly struggled a bit in front of goal. The Red Devils only have two senior out-and-out number nines at the club after Rasmus Hojlund’s summer departure, and it certainly feels like they’ve felt the impact of that lack of depth.

Manager Ruben Amorim has, perhaps unfairly, given Joshua Zirkzee limited opportunities this term, with the silky Dutchman only playing 11 Premier League games, bagging twice.

That is the same number of goals as Benjamin Sesko, with their summer signing from RB Leipzig now on a run of eight games without a goal.

It might not be a surprise, then, to learn United are linked with a new striker this winter.

Man United target Premier League striker

It does seem as though Zirkzee’s time at Old Trafford might be coming to an end in the next few weeks.

After another poor season at Old Trafford, he has been strongly linked with a move back to Serie A, with Roma touted as a potential destination for the United number 11.

Well, their replacement might come soon enough, and from within the top flight. According to a report from journalist Pete O’Rourke, the 13-time Premier League champions ‘are considering a move’ to sign Crystal Palace and France international Jean-Philippe Mateta.

The situation surrounding the three-cap French star at the moment is an interesting one. He is out of contract at the end of the 2026/27 season, and he is ‘stalling over a new deal’ according to O’Rourke.

This could give United the chance to move in and sign him for cheap, with Palace valuing him at a reported £26m over the summer.

Sky Sports have backed up those claims, revealing on Thursday that the Eagles forward is indeed a player they have ‘a long-term interest in’.

Why Mateta would improve United

In the last two and a half seasons, the 28-year-old has developed a reputation as “one of the best strikers in the Premier League”, according to Como scout Ben Mattinson. The Frenchman has become a key and consistent source of goals for the Eagles.

In 148 Premier League appearances, the striker, who hails from just outside of Paris, has bagged 45 goals and assisted nine. His best two goalscoring seasons came in 2023/24, when he scored 16 league goals and 2024/25, a campaign in which he grabbed 14 top-flight goals.

After 19 league outings this season, he’s already found the back of the net seven times, so he is roughly on course to score a similar number of goals again, showing excellent consistency.

Amorim would surely love someone with that level of experience in his squad. The strikers at Old Trafford have certainly struggled, with Sesko one of the players who has not really found his best form yet.

It might only be a matter of time, but United fans are not yet seeing the same sort of form the Slovenian showed for RB Leipzig.

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In two Bundesliga seasons, he hit 13 and 14 goals before getting his big move, so two goals in Red might well be seen as underwhelming.

The underlying stats from this season suggest that the Palace striker would be an upgrade on Sesko. For example, Mateta has a 16.28% conversion rate compared to just 8.33% conversion rate for the new Red Devils striker.

Mateta & Sesko 25/26 PL stats compared

Stat (per 90)

Mateta

Sesko

Shot accuracy

53.49%

50%

Coversion rate

16.28%

8.33%

Shots on target

1.5

1.3

Goals

0.5

0.3

Fouls won

0.7

0.3

Stats from Squawka

Having a striker with the quality and experience of Mateta in the squad would certainly benefit United’s number 30. Not only because he can learn from someone more experienced, but also because it would take the pressure off him as United’s main number nine.

This is surely a deal with which Amorim’s side cannot go wrong. It is a cut-price fee for a Premier League-proven striker, a plug-and-play attacker who would slot into the same system as he plays at Palace and improve the squad.

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Wolves have shown over the past few years that as well as signing new players to come into the club, they have also seen a number of players move out of Molineux for significant transfer fees.

One player that left the Old Gold in recent years that they will not be missing is winger Helder Costa, who was sold to fellow Premier League club Leeds United back in the 2020 summer transfer window in a deal worth a reported fee of £16m.

Wolves originally signed the attacker on loan from Benfica in 2016 before securing him on a permanent basis for a then-record club transfer fee of £13m in the 2017 January window.

During his time at Molineux, the winger racked up a total of 19 goals and 19 assists in 109 appearances across all competitions.

Since leaving the Midlands club for Leeds, the 28-year-old’s career has probably not gone the way he or the Elland Road side would have liked having scored just eight goals in 71 appearances before being moved out on loan to Spanish club Valencia last summer.

Even with the La Liga side, the Angola winger hasn’t been able to prove himself with no goals scored in 20 appearances as well as a rather underwhelming overall performance rating of 6.47/10 according to WhoScored.

Labelled as a “massive flop” for the Yorkshire club by Noel Whelan, Costa’s current market value of £7.2m from Transfermarkt shows a 55% decrease from the fee that Wolves picked up for him.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that Wolves made the right decision in selling Costa when they did and making a profit on him by doing so.

Despite not being particularly potent in front of goal this season with 24 goals scored in 25 league games, it’s hard to see the former Old Gold attacker being much help in that department if he had stayed at Molineux based on what’s he’s delivered for Leeds and Valencia since his exit.

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Moving forward, unless the player can end his loan spell in Spain on a high note, it will be hard to see what the next step in his career will be.

In other news: Forget Traore: Lage must finally axe barely-seen Wolves outcast, he’s “miles off” – opinion

Some big Everton transfer news has emerged before Boreham Wood, as the Blues will ‘have to pay heavily’ to sign Aster Vranckx from Wolfsburg, according to Voetbal Primeur (via Sport Witness).

The lowdown

A report from Calciomercato last month revealed that Frank Lampard and Everton had ‘set their sights’ on teenager Vranckx, who can also count AC Milan among his admirers.

The 19-year-old only joined Wolfsburg from Belgian outfit KV Mechelen last summer for a fee of £7.2million.

Predominantly a central midfielder (he’s played that position nine times this season), Vranckx is also capable of occupying a deeper role in front of the defence (five times).

The latest

The report (via SW) states that Vranckx has ‘already attracted a lot of attention’ from potential suitors, with Everton ‘closely following’ his progress.

He could secure ‘a nice transfer’ off the back of his performances this season.

But Wolfsburg know they a valuable asset on their hands and interested clubs, like the Toffees, can expect to be met with some pretty hefty demands.

The verdict

So, how much could Vranckx cost The Toffees?

Well, Transfermarkt rate him as a £9million player, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Wolfsburg are asking for more than that.

After all, that would only represent a very small profit on the fee they paid 12 months ago, and this is a player with a great deal of potential.

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He managed to establish himself in the first team fairly quickly at The Volkswagen Arena, making his first league start against Freiburg in October and keeping his place for 10 of the 15 matches since.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig says he’s part of a ‘very exciting’ crop of emerging Belgian midfielders, while European football expert Alex Barker said Wolfsburg were recruiting so many promising talents, like Vranckx, that it was as if they were playing ‘FIFA career mode’.

In other news, Patrick Boyland reveals a serious concern at Goodison Park.

Leeds United’s Jesse Marsch takes in his first home game as the club’s manager as he welcomes Aston Villa to Elland Road on Thursday night.

The Whites tasted defeat in his opening Premier League encounter against Leicester City at the weekend, and with the club’s precarious position in the table, three points at home to Villa would be a huge relief.

Marsch will have some big calls to make ahead of the game about the make up of his team, and one man who he must finally axe, is Robin Koch.

Here on FFC, we called on the German to be dropped from the starting line-up, but Marsch stuck with the former Freiburg man for the clash against the Foxes and continued to use him in midfield – a position he has mostly occupied in recent weeks.

If the new Leeds boss felt his arrival could spark a rapid change in Koch’s performances, then he was sadly mistaken, with the natural centre-back struggling really to come to grips with his role.

As per Sofascore, he lost a whopping ten of his 14 duels on the day – by far the worst record of any player on the pitch – conceded possession on 11 separate occasions, and failed to provide a single key pass.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for MOT Leeds News, Mark Smith gave him a six, saying: “Another role in midfield for the German, with Adam Forshaw nursing a small injury on the bench. He didn’t do much wrong in there but Leeds do lose that passing ability of others when we’re on the ball.”

Those sentiments were echoed by The Yorkshire Evening Post’s Graham Smyth, who noted: “Got stuck in, tried to contribute on the ball but at times lacked composure in possession.”

Given Kalvin Phillips’ absence, seeing Koch having to make-do as a central midfielder makes for very difficult viewing, especially when you consider the drop-off in quality between the two.

Reports earlier last year indicated that former Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa thought the German was “too soft” to really succeed at this level, and that idea hasn’t exactly been proven wrong.

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With Aston Villa picking up back-to-back wins recently – including a 4-0 thrashing of Southampton last time out – having Koch trying to mark the likes of Philippe Coutinho in midfield, and then also shouldering the burden of kick-starting attacks, just seems a step too far.

The £50k-a-week earning ace just needs to be taken out of the firing line for now, or he could cost them badly tonight.

AND in other news, Leeds United battling for “swashbuckling” £10m machine, Raphinha would love him

A major update has emerged regarding the fitness of Sunderland defender Danny Batth…

What’s the latest?

Alex Neil has revealed that the centre-back is closing in on a return to action as he continues to deal with an ankle injury which has plagued him since he made the switch to Wearside in January.

Batth has not played for Sunderland since 22 February against Cheltenham and has only played four games since joining from Stoke in mid-season.

Neil told The Chronicle: “He’s been on the grass, he’s been doing running and he’s been in better nick. He’s not far away now. He’s not trained with us specifically but he’s been doing his own work in terms of changing direction and all that stuff.”

Delight

Neil will surely be delighted that Batth is close to making his comeback, as having him available will be a big boost to Sunderland’s squad heading into the final months of the season.

His debut against Portsmouth offered plenty of promising signs. As per SofaScore, the 31-year-old won nine of his 14 duels whilst making five clearances, one block, one tackle and one interception as the Black Cats won the match 1-0. He helped his side to keep a clean sheet with his impressive defending, and his form in the Championship suggests that there is more to come from him.

In the first half of the campaign in the second tier, he averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 7.10 for Stoke as he won 68% of his duels and made 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game. This shows that he can excel in a higher division as he consistently delivered top-class performances for the Potters, which is why Neil will surely be keen to have him available for selection.

If Sunderland can get Batth back to his best, the statistics suggest that,he can have a huge impact at the Stadium of Light in the business end of the campaign. The Black Cats are fighting it out to land a play-off spot, and having another defender who can reliably perform to a high standard can only be a good thing for the club.

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Therefore, Neil will be buzzing that the 31-year-old is not far away from being back in full training. It will then be down to Batth to get himself back to 100% and show that he can be a rock in defence for the club in League One, just as he was in the Championship earlier this term.

AND in other news, Possession lost 225 times: “Anonymous” Sunderland liability who’s lost 76 duels has been a letdown…

Celtic have shown over the past few years that they are not shy when it comes to spending money on bringing new players to the club that can strengthen their squad and push the team forward.

However, it seems as though one of their most valuable players at this moment in time is one that the club didn’t need to spend a penny on.

As a product of the Hoops’ youth academy, the midfielder made his senior debut back in July 2015 in a Champions League qualifying clash against KR Reykjavik under former Celtic manager Ronny Deila.

Since then, the 28-year-old has racked up a total of 369 appearances for the Parkhead side across all competitions, scoring 57 goals and providing 67 assists along the way.

With 2242 minutes under his belt in the league this season across 26 appearances, Carl Starfelt and Cameron Carter-Vickers are the only outfield players to have had more time on the pitch than the Hoops midfielder, highlighting how important he is to the team.

In those appearances, the Scotland international has earned himself an overall performance rating of 7.14 according to WhoScored, making him the joint-seventh highest rated player currently in Ange Postecoglou’s squad alongside Kyogo Furuhashi, who has eight league goals to his name.

Praised for his “outstanding” performances in the past by the 56-year-old Hoops boss, the £30k-per-week maestro has undoubtedly turned himself into a vital figure for the club, especially since the manager named him as the new Celtic captain following the departure of Scott Brown last year.

Back in October 2014, not long after he made his senior debut for the Parkhead club, Transfermarkt rated McGregor’s market value listed at £675k, whereas it now stands at £6.75m, making him the most valuable player at the club as well as the sixth-most valuable player in Scotland.

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Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that the club hit the jackpot by unearthing and developing their former youth prospect into an important first-team figure, who will now be hoping that he can lead the rest of his teammates to glory at the end of the season by winning the SPFL title.

In other news: Nicholson can land Ange’s dream Celtic signing in 24 y/o gem who’s “desperate to win” – opinion

West Brom have seen many players come and go from the club over the past few years on loan spells and permanent deals.

As happens with many teams, some transfers don’t always go according to plan in terms of what happens when they arrive at the club.

One example of a transfer that falls into this category for the Midlands club is their move for defender James Chester back in the 2015 summer window from Hull City for a fee of £8m.

Throughout the 2015/16 season, the Welshman, who was reportedly picking up a weekly wage of £33k-per-week at the Hawthorns, made just 19 appearances across all competitions for the Baggies under Tony Pulis, starting just 14 of them.

Despite predominantly being a centre-back, the 33-year-old only played in his natural position on two occasions, finding himself being deployed on the left and right full-back positions more often than not.

In the 13 league appearances he made in a West Brom shirt, the defender managed to rack up five yellow cards and a rather uninspiring overall performance rating of 6.71 from WhoScored.

With just one season and 54 weeks as a Baggies player to his name, the club moved him on to their Midlands rivals Aston Villa in August 2016 before he then joined Stoke City in 2020, meaning that West Brom wasted a total sum of £9.7m on his transfer fee and weekly wages.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say that the club wasted their time and a substantial amount of money on bringing Chester to the Hawthorns, who has since described his time there as “frustrating” due to his lack of regular game time.

Looking back over his disappointing stint with the Baggies, it begs the question of whether things would have been different had he have been given a consistent run in the team playing in his natural position rather than as a full-back every now and again.

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Either way, it’s hard to see the defender as anything other than a rather underwhelming signing from the club, who would have been better off saving their money or using it more wisely on a player better suited for what they needed at the time.

In other news: WBA surely having nightmares over “unbelievable” dynamo whose value has rocketed 2033%

Rangers have built an exciting squad at Ibrox with a perfect blend of talented young prospects and experienced professionals all in Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s armoury.

The Gers have the likes of Allan McGregor, James Tavernier, Leon Balogun and Ryan Jack, among others, to lean on for their know-how on the pitch.

They also have players like Ryan Kent, Calvin Bassey and Ianis Hagi who are still progressing in their careers at Rangers, with a potential eye on making it at the very top level.

Shocker

Rangers have had a number of gems pass through Ibrox on a similar journey, and one player with whom they had a big shocker in 2004 was Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta.

He joined the Gers from Barcelona in 2002 at the tender age of 19, and then-Ibrox manager Alex McLeish sang his praises, saying: “Mikel is an excellent young player, and I’m sure he is someone who will really excite the Rangers fans.

“I think the fans will see a class act when he pulls on a Rangers jersey next season. He is very comfortable on the ball and he has an excellent touch – and the great thing is his best years are still ahead of him.”

Arteta went on to play seven UEFA Cup and Champions League matches for the Gers in two seasons, scoring one goal and failing to provide any assists. Reports in 2003 indicated that he was unhappy with being played out of position, which led to him being sold to Real Sociedad for a fee that Transfemarkt claims to be £3.6m in the summer of 2004.

He lasted half a season back in Spain before he was picked up Premier League side Everton on loan in January 2005, signing permanently for the English club in the summer of that year. This is where he really made a name for himself, as in 209 matches for the Toffees, he scored 35 goals and produced 35 assists.

His impressive performances in the middle of the park led to his value skyrocketing. In February 2009, Transfermarkt valued him at a whopping £18m, a full 400% more than the £3.6m that Rangers received for him. This valuation was just under two years prior to his move to another Premier League side in Arsenal for £10m in 2011.

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He saw out the rest of his playing time with the Gunners and is now the current head coach of the London giants, having previously worked with Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. This shows that he has excelled in management after a fine playing career and has gone on to achieve great things since leaving the Gers, as he is in charge of a team competing at the right end of the English top flight.

In conclusion, McLeish had a shocker with Arteta in 2004 in allowing the player to leave over issues with where he was being deployed on the pitch. The Scot was unwilling to compromise and make the best use of the Spaniard’s talents, and the Gers were left to regret this as they watched the player’s value rise and rise in the years after he left Ibrox…

AND in other news, Big setback as Van Bronckhorst dealt worrying Rangers injury blow, Ibrox faithful will surely be livid…

Manchester City forward Jeremy Doku is still searching for consistency in his play at the top end of the pitch, in what is now his third season at The Etihad.

The Belgium international’s brilliant goal against Liverpool in November remains his only Premier League strike of the season, in 15 appearances, and he has only scored three goals in all competitions, per Sofascore.

Doku has delivered three goals and five assists in 22 appearances in all competitions, per Sofascore, after a return of six goals and nine assists in 38 matches last season, which shows that there is room for improvement.

Manchester City in talks to sign Premier League forward

Instead of waiting for the Belgian attacker to add more goals to his game as a starter on the left flank, City could sign a player to be an instant upgrade on him.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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According to TEAMtalk, Manchester City are leading the race to sign Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause, in the January transfer window.

The report claims that there have been ongoing talks ahead of the next window to ensure that they are in pole position to activate his release clause and win the race for his signature, amid strong interest from Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur.

It adds that personal terms with the forward are advanced, with the Cityzens close to getting the player onboard, and that would allow them to make a quick move for him at the start of January.

TEAMtalk also reveals that Liverpool and Manchester United are keen on the Ghana international, who is not at the African Cup of Nations after his country failed to qualify for the tournament.

Why Man City should sign Antoine Semenyo

The Cityzens should sign the Cherries attacker when the January transfer window opens for business because he could be an upgrade on Doku, by providing the goal threat that the Belgian has struggled to offer since he moved to Manchester.

Semenyo, who was described as “the full package” and “unstoppable” by pundit Darren Bent, has scored seven goals in 15 appearances in the Premier League this season, per Sofascore, whilst Doku has scored four goals in the division since the start of last season.

In fact, the Belgium international has only scored seven goals in 73 top-flight matches in his City career, per Transfermarkt, which shows that Semenyo would arrive at The Etihad as a huge upgrade on the forward as a goalscorer.

The Bournemouth star’s goal return this season is not just impressive in comparison to Doku, though, as he has also been one of the most prolific wingers across the top five leagues in Europe.

Most goals by wingers in top 5 European leagues (25/26)

Player

Goals

Mason Greenwood

11

Antoine Semenyo

7

Phil Foden

7

Luis Diaz

7

Christian Pulisic

7

Lamine Yamal

6

Michael Olise

6

Bryan Mbeumo

6

Yan Diomande

6

Raphinha

6

Stats via Transfermarkt

Only one winger in the top five leagues has outscored the Ghana international, who has scored more league goals than Lamine Yamal, Michael Olise, and Raphinha.

This suggests that City would be bringing in one of the best goalscoring wingers in Europe if Hugo Viana can strike a deal for the £65m-rated star when the January transfer window opens for business.

The graphic above shows that Doku has the edge on him as a creative player this season. However, Semenyo created more ‘big chances’ (11) in the Premier League than Doku did (eight) last season, whilst also scoring 11 goals, compared to City winger’s three.

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This shows that, on the whole, the Cherries forward has the potential to be a big upgrade on the Belgian attacker because of his qualities as both a scorer and as a creator of goals.

Another attractive quality that Semenyo possesses, as was outlined by Dean Holden in the quote above, is that he can play on either flank and be effective with both feet.

The 25-year-old star can be deployed on the left or the right flank, although he has predominantly played on the left this season, which would provide Pep Guardiola with the freedom to play him in multiple roles and positions.

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It is now down to Viana, though, to make sure that City win the race for his signature, amid competition from a bunch of their Premier League rivals.