Newcastle United ‘scout’ £20m striker amid Southampton bid, Wolves have €17m offer ‘accepted’ for midfielder

Newcastle United are set to host Fulham on Sunday as they look to narrow the gap between themselves and Man City in the Premier League table. The Magpies only sit four points behind the defending champions.

However, Fulham are also in great form and head to St. James’ Park off the back of a convincing 2-1 win over Chelsea midweek and could move within a point of Eddie Howe’s side if they can claim a win this weekend. Newcastle will be brimming with confidence following their progression to the Carabao Cup semi-finals and are currently unbeaten in 13 league matches.

Meanwhile, Man City and Manchester United - who sit either side of Newcastle in the table - will face off in tomorrow’s lunch-time kick-off.

Here is today’s transfer news...

Magpies 'scout' £20m striker

Newcastle United scouts were in attendance for Lorient's clash with Monaco midweek as they scouted striker Terem Moffi, according to Football Insider. The Nigerian netted his eleventh league goal of the season as they played out a 2-2 draw.

Moffi joined Lorient in 2020 and has since scored 34 goals for the club, ending the past two seasons as their top goalscorer in all competitions. With his contract set to expire in 2024, the 23-year-old has attracted plenty of attention from Premier League clubs and most recently been the subject of a £20 million bid from Southampton that was turned down. The likes of Everton, Aston Villa, West Ham, Leicester City and Bournemouth are all scouting Moffi but will now face competition from the Magpies.

While Lorient are clearly eager to keep hold of Moffi this month, they may be more likely to offload him for a smaller fee in the summer as he enters the final 12 months of his contract in France. The striker could be a good option for Newcastle as they look to bolster their attack, however Cherries owner Bill Foley's proposed move to buy 33 per cent stake in Lorient may had the newly promoted club an advantage in pursuit of Moffi.

Wolves have €17m offer 'accepted' for midfielder

Wolves are closing in on a deal for Flamengo Joao Gomes after they had a €17m bid accepted for his services, according to O Dia. The report also claims that the 21-year-old has agreed personal terms with Julen Lopetegui's side.

Gomes is said to be one of the biggest prospects coming out of Brazil in recent years, having made 63 appearances for Flamengo last year - scoring twice and registering two assists in the process. The midfielder would be Lopetegui's second signing since joining Wolves in November after they snapped up Matheus Cunha from Atletico Madrid. Gomes would join Cunha as the only two Brazilians at Molineux Stadium and will compete with the likes of Ruben Neves, Matheus Nunes and Joe Hodge for a place in the team.

Liverpool 'join' race for Arsenal target

Liverpool are said to be monitoring Frankfurt's Evan Ndicka, who is out of contract in the summer, according to journalist Ben Jacobs. Arsenal were previously reported to have reached an agreement with the defender, however he remains available and has also attracted interest from Chelsea, Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.

Ndicka has been an ever-present figure in Frankfurt's backline since joining the club in 2018 and claimed eight goal contributions in the Bundesliga last season. However, he opted against extending his current deal with the club and could now be set for a move to the Premier League. Liverpool have undoubtedly suffered some defensive problems this season, conceding 22 goals in the Premier League - only four less than they let in during the whole of the previous campaign.

With Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip both turning 32 this year, Jurgen Klopp looks eager to bring some youth into his new-look side to join the likes of Darwin Nunez, Cody Gakpo and Ibrahima Konate. Ndicka is likely to already have a relationship with the latter due to their time with France's youth teams.