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Aston Villa had been linked with a move for Roma star Henrikh Mkhitaryan in recent weeks but the Armenia international now looks set to join Serie A rivals Inter as he targets Champions League football.

What’s the word?

Villa had been named as one potential destination for the former Manchester United and Arsenal man this summer, with the 33-year-old available on a free transfer with his Roma contract set to expire later this month.

However, journalist Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed that he will be swapping Rome for Milan, as he tweeted:

“More on Henrikh Mkhitaryan deal. He’s set to sign a two-year contract with Inter, he wanted Champions League football so he decided to refuse AS Roma proposal. Inter Deal completed, medical tests and official statement pending. Here we go.”

Villa supporters will be gutted

Although Mkhitaryan’s spell in the Premier League didn’t live up to expectations, following his impressive form for Borussia Dortmund prior to his move to Old Trafford, he could have been a solid addition to Steven Gerrard’s squad.

Since joining Roma from Arsenal in 2020, the experienced midfielder has gone on to make 117 appearances for I Giallorossi, in which he has contributed an impressive 29 goals and 28 assists.

Gerrard might boast a number of attacking-midfield options including Philippe Coutinho, Emi Buendia and Jacob Ramsey, but Mhkitaryan would have added some real versatility and quality to the Villans’ attack and considering he was available on a free transfer, it would have been a no-brainer for the Midlands club.

After Arsenal signed him in 2018, Arsene Wenger was extremely complimentary of the Armenian, saying:

“Henrikh is a very complete player. He creates chances, he defends well, he can absorb distances and he’s very committed as well.

“I must say he’s a player who has all the attributes.”

While he might have lost a yard of pace in the four years since, he was still a key player for Jose Mourinho’s Roma last season, averaging an impressive 6.99 rating from WhoScored for his performances in Serie A after notching five goals and six assists.

Therefore, Villa fans should be gutted that their side wasn’t able to entice Mkhitaryan to Villa Park.

And, in other news… Aston Villa can form dream duo with free transfer swoop

It took what felt like an age for Sunderland to finally exit the doldrums of League One and reclaim their Championship status but they are finally there.

It’s a great time to support the Black Cats and now their fans have received further good news.

What’s the word?

Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven no longer hold significant control over the Mackems but their time in the northeast looks as though it will finally grind to a halt and meet a permanent end this summer.

That’s according to Sky Sports reporter Tom White who took to Twitter in two separate bursts this morning to reveal the following exciting news: “Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven have accepted a bid for their shares in SAFC. More info on the buyers to come in next few days. Deal needs EFL approval. A rep of the group was in the boardroom for P/O v Sheff Wed. There is confidence the deal will be done within 5 weeks.”

White continued: “Offer was initially accepted prior to the playoff final. The deal has not yet reached exclusivity, but that is expected imminently.”

Supporters buzzing

This is the long-awaited news that supporters have lusted after for an age. At a time when they’ve finally reached the second tier again, seeing Donald and Methven wave farewell to the club permanently would be joyous for the Stadium of Light faithful.

The duo’s time at Sunderland has been a pretty big mess with Methven turning himself into an internet meme for his role in the Netflix documentary ‘Sunderland ’till I die’.

From wanting pulsating EDM played across the sound system, to putting Zlatan Ibrahimovic on their list of targets, to spending £4m on Will Grigg in a deadline day panic, it has not been a reign filled with success.

Several failed promotion campaigns have played out and despite finally getting out of the third-tier this season, it wasn’t because of the foundations that Donald and Methven had laid down.

Alex Neil has done a wonderful job since taking over as manager and combined with Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Kristjaan Speakman, proceedings look a little rosier now.

With no Donald and Methven involved in the club, and Championship football on the horizon, the future finally looks bright for Sunderland heading into the second part of 2022.

AND in other news, Sunderland may be on the verge of repeating their Charlie Wyke disaster this summer…

Sheffield Wednesday have rejected a bid from Atletico Talleres for attacking midfielder Josh Windass, according to reliable journalist Alex Miller.

The Lowdown: Windass’ future up in the air

The Owls suffered a disappointing end to the season after failing to get out of League One, with attention now turning to transfer activity this summer.

One player whose future is up in the air is Windass, who has been a strong servant for Wednesday, scoring 17 goals in 65 appearances overall for the club.

The 28-year-old’s current deal at Hillsborough expires next year, and there has been a seven-figure bid tabled by Argentine club Atletico Talleres in recent days.

The Latest: Miller provides Windass transfer latest

Taking to Twitter on Sunday, Miller reported that Wednesday have rejected the offer and want to keep hold of Windass beyond the summer transfer window.

Sharing his corresponding article from The Star, the journalist tweeted:

“EXCL: Sheffield Wednesday look set to resist interest in Josh Windass from Argentine side Atlético Talleres. Bid in region of £1m rejected in strong terms – Windass important to Darren Moore’s plans.”

The Verdict: Keep hold of him

It looks set to be a summer of real change at Hillsborough, with numerous players who are out of contract due to depart and Darren Moore likely to bring in some new faces.

However, Windass is someone that Wednesday need to do their utmost to retain, with the 28-year-old a valuable player when fit, and someone who can take League One by storm. Four goals and two assists in nine appearances this term was a decent ratio, and his tally would have been much higher if his campaign hadn’t been ravaged by injury.

In truth, it will feel like a bonus if he remains an Owls player for next season – if he does end up leaving, the only positive will be the money received for him, instead of losing him for free next summer.

In other news, journalist Joe Crann has also provided a key Sheff Wed transfer update. Read more here.

Everton narrowly avoided relegation with a stunning 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace last week, which ensured the club didn’t have to live through a nerve-shredding final day of drama.

A 5-1 defeat to Arsenal, although disappointing, seemed irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. Frank Lampard has a major job on his hands this summer, and that’s if he is still in charge over the next few weeks.

Whatever happens, the squad needs a major overhaul, with too many players coasting through matches this season and contributing very little despite their talents and bulging wage slips.

One such player is Alex Iwobi, the winger who has flattered to deceive this season, averaging a score of just 6.58 on WhoScored, which ranks him 15th out of the whole Everton squad.

The 25-year-old – dubbed “embarrassing” by David Prentice – has only contributed two goals and two assists all campaign and surely his £100k-per-week wage could go on someone who will contribute more?

With Everton being linked with a few players recently, the interest in Derby winger Tom Lawrence should be taken further and would allow the manager to axe Iwobi.

Lawrence has been superb this season as Derby were eventually relegated, despite putting up a decent fight. His tally of 11 goals and five assists prove how much of an attacking threat he is from a wide position.

The 28-year-old is a much greater danger than Iwobi, he has registered almost five times as many shots this season (101 to 24) and puts in over double the number of crosses (81 to 30) showing how poor the Everton man has been this season.

Lawrence will surely be on the move this summer, he is far too good a talent to be plying his trade in League One and Lampard could potentially make a shrewd move. with former manager Gary Bowyer describing him as a “fabulous talent” a few years ago, a move to Everton could be the catalyst for him to fulfil his potential.

AND in other news, Moshiri plotting Everton bid for “fantastic” 19y/o “huge talent”, Lampard needs him

Former Scotland defender Alan Hutton has predicted Celtic may have a ‘problem’ in the transfer market this summer. 

The lowdown: Ange prepares for busy off-season

Following a successful first full campaign in the Celtic Park hot seat, Hoops’ boss Ange Postecoglou has already suggested that many first-team players could be looking for a way out of the club as he prepares to oversee a squad overhaul.

Two stars definitely on the move are Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton after the long-standing midfield pair bid farewell to the Parkhead faithful against Motherwell.

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Despite the early confirmed exits, the newly crowned Scottish Premiership champions could be faced with an issue moving forwards when trying to mould the ranks for next term…

The latest: Hutton makes claim

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Rangers man and regular BBC pundit has claimed that Celtic may find selling out of favour players difficult.

The 37-year-old said: “This is the problem. It’s not worked out for those players, the likes of Barkas. He was brought in for £5million on a decent contract. He’s not played so nobody’s going to pay that. So you have to cut the losses.

“I mean, that’s the only way you can get these players out. To free up space, they’re going to have to do that. You have to be playing at a certain level for people to show any interest and they’re not there at this moment in time.

“That’s not to say that they can’t get there but at this moment they’re not. So Celtic are probably going to have to take a loss to try and get some of them out to allow the space to get their targets.”

The verdict: Clear-out required

Whilst it seems implausible that the Bhoys would need to perform vast surgery on a title-winning side, having already proven his astute acumen in the transfer market, Postecogulou will no doubt be wanting to strengthen once more in order to compete in the UEFA Champions League group stage next season.

Vasilis Barkas, Albian Ajeti, Christopher Jullien and Ismaila Soro have only managed 57 combined appearances this term and could all be facing the prospect of a move away from Glasgow in the summer.

The prospect of Champions League action back at Celtic Park and the financial implications that come with it may allow those departures to come to fruition even at a cut-price fee.

Ultimately, given his track record, albeit a small sample size, entrusting Postecogulou with any potential incoming transfer funds and the windfall from elite European participation would be a shrewd move from the Celtic hierarchy.

In other news… Celtic are reportedly ‘desperate’ to complete the permanent signing of one first-team player.

A big claim has been made on Newcastle striker Dwight Gayle’s future heading into the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports journalist Keith Downie has revealed that the £10m signing from Crystal Palace in 2016 will leave the club ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Dwight Gayle will go in the summer, and then if he wants three strikers, you’d have Callum Wilson, Chris Wood and then another coming in and then maybe even a fourth who can play off one of the wings, but I think he’d be an option, a good option to have off the bench.”

Eddie Howe will be delighted

The Toon manager will be delighted with the news that Gayle will be on his way out of St. James’ Park in the coming months. He is wasting a space in the squad because he has had a minimal impact on the pitch throughout the campaign and it is the right time for him to depart.

In eight Premier League appearances this season, the striker has accrued just 30 minutes of action and this indicates that Howe does not trust him to play a significant portion of games. He has not shown the head coach that he offers enough on the pitch to justify regular game time and his situation seems unlikely to change as he turns 33 later this year.

Noel Whelan claimed it was “bewildering” when he was given a new deal last year and cited Steve Bruce’s potential exit as one of the reasons why it was a strange decision. Of course, the current West Brom manager was relieved of his duties later in the year and now Howe has been left to deal with the ramifications of that call. 

His previous contract was due to expire in the summer of 2021 and these fresh terms take him through to the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

He has one goal in his 26 top-flight outings since the start of last season and five goals in his last 46 games for the Magpies in the Premier League, illustrating just how baffling the decision to extend his deal was.

This is why Howe will be buzzing to axe Gayle from his squad this summer as he will be able to recoup some money for his services and replace him with a player who can have more of an impact on the pitch for the club.

AND in other news, Howe can get SJP rocking with NUFC swoop for £21m predator with the “scoring nose”…

Everton could reportedly now sell as many as three of their players to Tottenham Hotspur as some transfer news has emerged in Mike McGrath’s column for The Telegraph.

The Lowdown: Poor season

Even though the Goodison Park faithful now look quite likely to survive the relegation threat, they have still had a poor season by their standards.

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Sitting just above the bottom three, they have not finished lower than 12th since the 2004/05 campaign, and with the amount of money that they have spent over the years, they really should not be in this position.

Given their troubles with Financial Fair Play, it would not be a surprise to see the Blues offload some players even if they stay up.

The Latest: Tottenham lurking

As per The Daily Telegraph’s McGrath, Spurs have now been keeping an eye on Richarlison, Ben Godfrey and Anthony Gordon ahead of potential moves in the summer.

Given their situation, it is likely that the Merseyside club could look to move on some of their players for big money, in order to help fund a rebuild.

The Verdict: Difficult to keep

If a club like the Lilywhites, who are pushing for UEFA Champions League qualification, come calling for some of the Toffees’ best players, then it will be difficult to keep them.

Richarlison currently ranks as their best performer in the Premier League, while Gordon has come on leaps and bounds this term with four goals, two assists and two man-of-the-match awards, and Godfrey ranks highly among his teammates in some key defensive areas (WhoScored).

Rated at £45m, £14.4m and £19.8m respectively, a value totalling £79.2m, selling them would increase the transfer budget significantly, although the Blues supporters would surely see keeping Gordon in particular as a big priority this summer.

In other news, find out what huge in-house EFC update has now emerged here!

Huddersfield Town are set to make a move for Rotherham manager Paul Warne, according to Football League World.

The Lowdown: Crucial win

Danny Schofield was relieved of his duties as Huddersfield manager in midweek following a 2-1 defeat to Wigan. The club announced that Narcis Pelach and Paul Harsley would take temporary charge for Saturday’s league game against Cardiff City, which they won 1-0 thanks to Jordan Rhodes’ early goal.

The victory takes the Terriers to within three points of climbing out of the Championship relegation zone, with Dean Hoyle continuing the search to find Schofield’s replacement.

The Latest: Warne linked with Huddersfield

According to Football League World, Huddersfield are set to make a move for Warne after being knocked back in their pursuit of Plymouth Argyle head coach Steven Schumacher.

The report adds that Huddersfield will find it ‘very hard’ to persuade Warne to join, with the Rotherham boss admitting after his team’s draw with Middlesbrough on Saturday night that he is yet to receive any contact from the Terriers.

The Verdict: Time is ticking

The 49-year-old is approaching 2,000 days as Rotherham manager and appears to be extremely happy with his current employers. Therefore, a move to the John Smith’s Stadium appears to be a fairly ambitious one, but it looks as if the Terriers will try their luck.

Hoyle and co now have the international break to bring in a new manager, and hopefully Schofield’s successor will be in the door by the time Huddersfield travel to Reading on October 1.

Leeds United employee Noel Whelan believes that summer signing Wilfried Gnonto could be ‘the bargain of the season’, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Late move

The Whites both spent and received close to £100m this summer in what was a busy few months for Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta.

Leeds brought in six players over the age of 20, while also signing teenagers Darko Gyabi, Sonny Perkins and Gnonto. The Italy international was the final addition of the summer late on transfer deadline day after the Yorkshire club failed with moves for Cody Gakpo and Bamba Dieng earlier in the day.

The Latest: Whelan’s comments

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan said that he has heard good things from Thorp Arch regarding the teenager and feels that he could be ‘good value’ at Elland Road.

The 47-year-old said of Gnonto:

“The fact that he’s a full Italy international just shows how highly he’s rated. Leeds United went in for him, he’s 18 years old – it seems like he could be a real bargain, perhaps even the bargain of the season.

“From what people are saying on the training ground, he’s very bright, lively, strong, quick. He could be good value for a few goals in the first-team this season.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

There shouldn’t be too much pressure placed on the 18-year-old’s shoulders this season, but it would be brilliant if he could hit the ground running in Yorkshire.

You’d expect that he’ll initially be behind Patrick Bamford, Rodrigo and Joe Gelhardt in Jesse Marsch’s pecking order, but he may still get the chance to impress from the bench over the coming months.

As Whelan mentions, Gnonto is already a full Italy international and arrives with plenty of first-team experience under his belt with FC Zurich, so he could prove to be a smart addition.

Glasgow Rangers suffered a shocking defeat to Old Firm rivals Celtic at Parkhead this afternoon, losing 4-0 in an incredibly one-sided encounter that will give Ange Postecoglou and his men further momentum.

The Ibrox side came into the tie trailing the Premiership leaders by two points and were looking to overhaul that deficit and leapfrog them at the top of the table with a victory this afternoon.

However, it turned out to be a terrible day at the office for Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his side, with plenty of mistakes made by the backline, including a howler by goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin to allow David Turnbull to score Celtic’s fourth of the match.

The Light Blues couldn’t cope with the sheer relentlessness of the Celtic attack and were second to almost every ball.

Yet again, lessons were not learned from the 3-0 defeat in Van Bronckhorst’s first Old Firm clash as manager, and the way these matches are approached will need to change going forward.

There were plenty of poor performances, with Glen Kamara being particularly anonymous but Antonio Colak’s stood out as arguably the worst of the outfield players.

Colak was an Old Firm disaster

The striker came into the clash having scored seven goals in his previous seven matches and was arguably Gers’ biggest threat.

The match didn’t exactly go to plan however as he received a rating of just 6.1 from SofaScore, the lowest on the pitch from both sides.

He had a total of just ten touches during the match, making just one successful pass and he had three shots off target.

The Croatian also lost 80% of his total duels during the contest, failing to establish himself either in the air or on the ground.

It was a disastrous performance all round from the player, especially after a strong start to life at the club. The Old Firm derby puts pressure on both teams that many players haven’t experienced before so this could well be a reason for his display.

Rangers take on Ajax on Wednesday evening in the Champions League and Van Bronckhorst will be aiming for a massive reaction from this abject result.