Everton are said to have a back-up plan in case they can’t get hold of Celtic right-back Alistair Johnston this summer. The Toffees are pushing hard to land Johnston, who impressed after coming back from a serious injury last season, helping Celtic to a league and cup double, and he then went on to impress with Canada at the World Cup.

David Moyes has called Martin O’Neill to inform his old friend of his interest in the right-back, and there has been talk of a £15million bid, but Celtic might just have a bigger fee in mind, given Johnston’s importance to the team and the fact they will welcome big money for other players this summer, meaning they don’t have to, and certainly don’t want to sell.

That’s not to say Johnston is out of reach for Everton, but they may have to pay above £15million to get a job done, and in the meantime, Johnston has been in action for Celtic, on Monday night, so a deal does not seem to be very close, and the Toffees are said to be lining up an alternative.

Molina earmarked as Johnston alternative.

According to according to Italian journalist Luca Cerchione, Everton hold interest in Atletico Madrid right-back Nahuel Molina amid their ongoing Johnston chase. Roma are also said to be interested, and the Italian giants have reportedly submitted a €15million bid, and Gianluca Di Marzio has followed up that report with a claim of his own.

He says Roma have offered €15million plus bonuses for Molina, but their main option is Givairo Read, and they are hoping Feyenoord drop their €25million plus add-ons asking price, and if they do not, then a deal for Read will not be possible, leaving them to sign Molina.

The Argentina World Cup star is expected to move on from Atleti this summer, and it’s likely Everton will only circle back to him if they don’t sign Johnston and he remains available. But for now, Johnston does appear to be the primary option.

It’s easy to see why, too, with Johnston an incredibly reliable and hard-working character, while Molina has been charged by FIFA for allegedly punching a Spain player after Argentina’s World Cup final defeat.

Simeone a big fan of hard-working Molina

Speaking in 2024, Atletico boss Diego Simeone said of Molina: “Molina is a player who is very important for us, who has many, many good things, others to improve, like all footballers. When a player has shown himself to be so important for us, with his runs, goals, crosses and work, it’s normal that when he goes through a difficult moment the criticism appears.”

He added: “Nahuel Molina is a noble and hard-working boy. When he gets through this period, he will give us the good things that he has.”

Simeone said this summer: “Molina, Musso, Robin… They have the characteristics of the players we need in our squad. About Nahuel, I’m very clear that his best football comes in transitions, from the middle of the pitch forward.”

Tottenham Hotspur now have a ‘very good chance’ of signing Manchester City winger Savinho, with Fabrizio Romano issuing a new update on the club’s pursuit of the Brazilian, as well as naming another new target.

Tottenham continued an impressive run of form in pre-season by beating Chelsea 2-1 in the Sydney Super Cup on Saturday, as their half-a-dozen new summer signings continue to get to grips with life in a white shirt.

Roberto De Zerbi previously claimed that Spurs’ summer business was 60% done, which suggested that there could still be four new additions arriving before the deadline next month.

However, the Italian has since claimed that he hopes for two or three more arrivals by September 1, all of which look to be attacking players given the north London outfit are being linked with moves for two wingers and a striker as things stand.

While the two wingers look nailed on given the strong interest in signing both Savinho and Cody Gakpo from Liverpool, the likelihood is that the striker signing will depend on either Dominic Solanke or Richarlison leaving the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the latter considered the most likely to leave.

Spurs will be hoping to complete a deal for long-term target Savinho sooner rather than later.

Romano: Savinho Has ‘Very Good Chance’ of Joining Tottenham

via Reuters

Tottenham have been trying to land Savinho for most of this summer, after also trying the land the Brazil international 12 months ago too.

Spurs failed to convince Man City to let the 22-year-old, described as ‘extraordinary’ by Pep Guardiola, go in 2025, but they are more hopeful of finding an agreement this time around after the forward’s minutes were more restricted last term.

Romano has issued a new update on the north London outfit’s pursuit of Savinho, saying there is a ‘very good chance’ of the deal happening, and that he isn’t expecting any surprises in regard to it potentially falling through.

The Italian journalist also revealed potential interest in Chelsea winger Pedro Neto, should they fail to sign Savinho.

He said on his YouTube channel on Tuesday evening:

“The priority, the number one, two, and three target remains Savinho, and I think at the end of the summer transfer window, Savinho has very, very good chances to join Tottenham.

“So I don’t expect any surprises here. Eventually, if the deal is not happening for Savinho, Pedro Neto could become an option for Tottenham Hospur. So that could be an interesting situation to follow.”

Gold Issues Update on Nicolas Jackson to Tottenham

via Reuters

It was only on Tuesday morning that the Daily Mail claimed that Tottenham were considering a summer move for another Chelsea player in Nicolas Jackson.

The Senegalese striker is being heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer, with Aston Villa understood to be very keen to reunite him with Unai Emery, although they may have to pay his £65m asking price to do given they are unable to loan both he and Alejandro Garnacho in the same window.

Reliable Football London correspondent Alasdair Gold quickly quashed the talk of Jackson moving across London, claiming that Spurs are unlikely to explore a move for the 25-year-old.

Arsenal‘s chances of signing Vinicius Jr could be boosted by a key factor within the Real Madrid squad, according to one expert.

The Gunners are hoping to convince Vinicius to join the club this summer on a deal that would almost certainly be the most expensive in Premier League history.

That record has already been broken once this summer, by Chelsea’s signing of Morgan Rogers, but Vinicius is going to cost more than that if he does leave, and he will almost certainly become the Premier League’s highest-paid player if he does leave Real Madrid, which is no certainty.

Los Blancos are trying to tie the Brazilian down to a new deal just under a year before his current deal expires, but they are said to be around €8million apart in their salary negotiations at this stage. Arsenal are hoping to swoop for Vinicius if he does decide to leave, and there could be a lesser-known factor at play.

Vinicius and Mbappe’s relationship could be key

REUTERS/Ana Beltran

According to South American football expert Tim Vickery, Vinicius joining Arsenal is ‘certainly a possibility’ this summer, and discussing some of the reasons the winger might leave Real Madrid, he highlighted the rocky relationship he has with fellow forward Kylian Mbappe.

When asked if their relationship is strained, Vickery said: “Without a doubt, yes – very much so. It’s not only a battle of egos, it’s not only a battle to be number one, it’s also the fact that tactically they like the same space,” Vickery, who is based in Brazil, told Sky Sports.

“You would think of Vini Jr as a winger and Mbappe as a striker, but both of them have little bits of the other.

“It’s very hard to fit the two of them in the same side, Ancelotti couldn’t do it and Ancelotti is a master at adapting and getting the best out of what he’s got. The Mbappe thing is undoubtedly a problem for Vini Jr.”

Vinicius Jr fee would be among the biggest of all time

Phil Noble via Action Images via Reuters

Reports in Spain suggest Arsenal would have to pay as much as £145.6million to sign Vinicius, if the Brazilian does decide to leave. That would smash the current British record, which was that £117million deal that took Rogers to Chelsea this summer. The Rogers deal was the second time the record had been broken this summer, with Elliot Anderson joining Manchester City for £116million a couple of weeks before.

Arsenal would likely try to reduce that fee with the knowledge that Vinicius has less than a year remaining on his deal, and they would certainly be helped if the winger committed to not signing a deal, leaving Real Madrid to choose between a giant profit now and a free exit next summer.