Manchester United have been heavily linked with a move to sign Newcastle United left-back Lewis Hall, and GIVEMESPORT correspondent Ben Jacobs has confirmed he would want the move.

Hall has enjoyed a phenomenal rise since his move to St James’ Park, but the Magpies endured a difficult season last time out.

As a result, a number of players have already headed through the exit door, including Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon.

Newcastle will be desperate to keep the remainder of their key stars, but it certainly won’t be easy with interest growing.

According to GIVEMESPORT correspondent Jacobs, if Manchester United agreed a fee with Newcastle this summer, Hall would want to make the move to Old Trafford.

Jacobs also adds that it certainly won’t be an easy deal for them to do. It could cost over £75 million for United to prise him away from St. James’ Park.

Whether United would be willing to pay a fee of around £75 million remains to be seen, as it’s certainly a lot of money.

Left-back is Man Utd’s next priority

Fabrizio Romano confirms that Manchester United’s next priority after potentially signing Brighton’s Carlos Baleba would be to bring in a left-back.

Romano confirms that Alejandro Balde of Barcelona is another target, which could raise doubts over how possible a deal for Hall actually is.

Jacobs also confirmed that, although it’s not a 0% chance that Hall will join United, it is under 10%.

“It’s not 0% chance for Lewis Hall, but it’s under 10%.”

Aston Villa have reportedly made an £18 million plus add-ons bid to sign Southampton defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis in the summer transfer window, according to David Ornstein.

Harwood-Bellis could be searching for a move back to the Premier League this summer after Southampton failed to gain promotion last season.

Aston Villa could look to take advantage with Ezri Konsa closing in on a move to Arsenal.

Konsa isn’t the only player who sought a departure this summer, with Lucas Digne, Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers all moving on in the summer transfer window.

After qualifying for the Champions League, Villa fans may have been expecting their club to keep a number of their key players, but it hasn’t been possible.

According to Ornstein, Aston Villa have submitted an £18 million plus add-on bid to sign Harwood-Bellis from Southampton, but the Championship club have rejected the offer.

The England international is considered an option to replace Konsa this summer, but they’ll have to increase their offer to secure his signature.

Aston Villa need a busy end to window

Aston Villa certainly need a busy end to the summer transfer window, despite bringing in a few additions so far.

Although they have made some smart signings so far, you could argue that their starting eleven is going to be weaker than last season.

That could be a huge concern to supporters, especially after they qualified for the Champions League last term.

Losing players such as Rogers, Digne and Tielemans significantly weakens their starting 11, so they’ll need a busy few weeks in terms of reinforcements.

Add in Konsa on top of that, who looks set to leave the club, Unai Emery and his recruitment team need to get a move on.

Lionel Messi has long been at the forefront of football — and the same goes for his ratings on soccer games such as the EA Sports FC franchise.

Messi’s EA Sports FC 27 card landed at 89 OVR, a remarkable three-point surge from the 86 he carried through FC 26 — his biggest single-year rise in years, and one that reverses a steady decline since his FC 25 peak of 88.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner is in the twilight of his career at 39, but proved at the 2026 World Cup that he is still box office and among the highest performers in the world, as he dragged Argentina to the final.

Now residing in the MLS with Inter Miami, his record after 108 games reads 92 goals and 53 assists (145 goal contributions in 108 games), and his FC score is certainly attributed to his performances for club and country. Let’s delve deeper into the news.

Lionel Messi’s FC 27 Rating Compared With FC 26

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Vincent Carchietta

Passing, shooting and the overall score are the standout gains. For passing, a four-point jump pushes it to 89, level with his overall rating. Dribbling remains untouched at 90, featuring as his best attribute and among the highest in the game regardless of position.

Pace, as it inveitably does with older players, ticks down again. It is the one number that continues to erode year over year as he approaches 40. The more significant shift is positional: FC 27 is the first edition to give Messi a base CAM listing rather than his long-standing RW tag, reflecting the deeper, creative role he’s played for both Miami and Argentina.

How Messi Compares to the Best in FC 27

At 89, Messi sits 18th among FC 27’s top-rated men’s players — one point behind a crowded group of ten players at 90, and two behind the game’s top tier of Kylian Mbappé and Erling Haaland, both at 91.

He’s the only Argentine and the only player outside Europe’s top five leagues to make the top 27 at all, a marker of how far his rating has outpaced the MLS competition context EA usually fails to credit.

Interestingly, too, Messi has stretched the distance between himself and perennial rival Cristiano Ronaldo, who weighs in with an OVR of 84 in FC 27.

Why the Boost for Messi?

REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

EA’s stated rationale ties directly to Argentina’s run to the 2026 World Cup final; Messi managed 12 goal contributions in eight games, only failing to register either a goal or an assist in the final.

The tournament has formed the basis of the FC 27 ratings refresh, and Messi’s performances there were the clear driver of the upgrade, alongside the CAM shift that better suits his current attribute profile as he has evolved into a different role.

It’s a pointed contrast with Cristiano Ronaldo, who again missed the top 27 entirely; his own rating has slid from 85 in FC 26 to 84 in FC 27, with no comparable international showcase to lift it. Neither his performances for Portugal or form in the Saudi Pro League could reasonably justify an increase.

Reaction

Responses over EA ratings have always been something fans love to have discourses over. Some fans have leaned into the age angle — “39 years old with a rating of 89” was a common refrain — with some arguing he’s still undersold relative to Mbappé and Haaland.

Detractors pushed back on the scale of the jump, with pointed comparisons to Ronaldo’s stagnant rating (“Messi 89? He should be 86, the same as Ronaldo”) and skepticism that eight strong World Cup matches could result in a dramatic three-point rise.

Dropping as more of a shock than a surprise, Messi’s involvement in MLS is akin to Ronaldo’s in Saudi Arabia — both leagues are far from Europe’s best and brightest. However, it is clear how crucial the World Cup has been for ratings, but none more so than for Messi.