According to reports in The Sun, West Ham United are set to rival Premier League rivals West Bromwich Albion for the signing of Manchester United defender Chris Smalling this summer.

Despite the fact that the England international started the Europa League final on Wednesday night, Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho is said to be ready to offload him at the end of the season.

Despite entering the season as one of the first choice choices at the heart of the defence, the 27-year-old has fallen behind Eric Bailly, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind in the pecking order.

He also fell out with Mourinho last month when he announced he wasn’t fit enough to play even though the club were struggling for centre-backs.

Irons boss Slaven Bilic is keen to strengthen his squad this summer, and he could do a lot worse than to bring the Three Lions star to the London Stadium.

Here are three reasons West Ham should go all out to sign Smalling…

They need to strengthen the defence

Only five Premier League teams conceded more than the 64 the Irons did in 38 matches this season and Slaven Bilic will know that it is a record that needs to improve if the club is to push for Europe next term.

Even though Angelo Ogbonna missed much of the campaign through injury and Jose Fonte improved after a difficult start to his Hammers career following a January move from Southampton, there is no doubt that the arrival of Smalling would boost the backline.

He should be in his prime

At the age of 27 the Red Devils man should be entering the prime years of his career, and if West Ham could help the centre-back rediscover the performances he showed under Louis van Gaal they would have a valuable player on their hands.

The England international established himself as one of the best defenders in the Premier League under the Dutchman and having made more than 150 top flight appearances for United – as well as around 50 in European competition – he has the experience to help the Irons.

He would have a point to prove

If Smalling was allowed to leave Man United this summer he would certainly have a few points to prove at his new club.

Firstly, he would want to show Jose Mourinho that it was a mistake to sell him, while he would also need to demonstrate to England manager Gareth Southgate that he is good enough to be a first choice centre-back ahead of the 2018 World Cup, after potentially falling behind the likes of Gary Cahill and Michael Keane in the pecking order.

Do you agree, Irons fans? Let us know below.

As reported by the Edinburgh Evening News, Hearts midfielder Don Cowie has told Rangers target Jamie Walker to buckle down and forget about interest from Ibrox until they come back with a better offer.

What’s the story?

Rangers were reported to have had a second bid for the Hearts winger rejected late last week, around £400,000 short of the Tynecastle club’s valuation of him.

With the Light Blues making significant moves in the transfer market this summer though, you’d expect them to be back to try and lure the 23-year old to Glasgow.

However, teammate Don Cowie reckons Hearts’ valuation is spot on and he doesn’t want the speculation to effect Walker’s game, urging the star to put it behind him until Rangers firm up their interest.

As quoted by the Edinburgh Evening News, Cowie said:

Jamie’s our player right now and I’m looking forward to training with him next week. The club has made a stance with the value that they see him at. Until that’s met, it’s not an issue really. Up until about three-quarters through the season last year, there weren’t many better in this country than him in the area he was playing – give or take the Celtic players – in terms of end product and goals. He was fantastic and it is only right that the club want what a player like that is worth.

Cowie is right in his assertion that there weren’t many better in Walker’s position last season. He scored 15 goals across the season which would have made him the joint top scorer at Ibrox.

Time will tell how this all plays out but what seems certain is that Rangers aren’t going to get the left winger on the cheap.

Victor Moses certainly didn’t let himself down as Chelsea’s right wing-back last season, but whether he’s got what it takes to undertake the role long term remains a subject of great debate.

In theory at least, Chelsea’s starting XI would be further boosted by a natural wing-back for that role. But considering European football isn’t exactly overflowing with them at the moment, Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been mooted as an obtainable alternative.

The England international impressed on the right when Arsenal switched to a 3-4-3 last season and with his contract into its final twelve months, Chelsea’s London rivals may be forced to sell this summer.

With that in mind, we asked Blues supporters earlier this week who they’d prefer to see starting at right wing-back next season – the incumbent Moses or the versatile Gunners ace.

And according to our poll, the majority of Chelsea fans – a significant 58% – would rather have Moses keep his place for the coming campaign.

According to the reliable Twitter account @ExWHUemployee on the weekly West Ham Way podcast, West Ham United are currently “not close” to making any new signings, which will come as a frustration to Irons fans.

The Hammers have already agreed a deal to bring Pablo Zabaleta to the London Stadium and have been linked with moves for a number of strikers and attackers – including Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho and Arsenal’s Olivier Giroud – but the latest update reveals that no new incomings are imminent.

Slaven Bilic is keen to strengthen his squad this summer following a disappointing campaign last time out in which his side struggled to adapt to life in their new home.

West Ham supporters were quick to have their say on the transfer update via social media, with many far from shocked and others feeling a sense of déjà vu as they watch Premier League rivals such as Everton bring in new players.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

According to Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol on his official Twitter account, Chelsea and West Ham United are interested in signing Celtic striker Moussa Dembele this summer, but could face huge competition for the French attacker from Marseille.

What’s the word, then?

Well, both Premier League clubs are looking to strengthen their attacks this summer and the champions are searching for an alternative to Romelu Lukaku after the Belgian chose to move to Manchester United over a return to Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, Irons boss Slaven Bilic is also looking to bring in at least one new centre-forward with continued injury issues for both Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho, and he has been linked with a whole host of different strikers already this summer.

It is certainly no surprise that Dembele is on the radar of the two teams considering the impact he had in his first season with Celtic following a move from Championship outfit Fulham last summer, but the likes of Marseille are also very keen, according to Sky Sports.

How well did Dembele do last term?

He was quite brilliant.

The 20-year-old scored 32 goals in 49 appearances in all competitions for the Bhoys as they cruised to the Scottish Premiership title, while he showed his potential and quality by netting five goals in 12 Champions League outings.

Would he be a good signing for Chelsea or West Ham?

He certainly would be.

The centre-forward has shown over the course of the last two seasons especially that he knows where the goal is, and while he perhaps wouldn’t be an automatic starter for Chelsea straight away, he would be a very useful option to have from the substitutes’ bench.

If Dembele is keen to move and is looking for regular playing time then he would be better off moving to the London Stadium, and the 20-year-old looks to have all of the attributes to be a success for the Irons, and would add some much-needed pace to their attack.

However, he is unlikely to come on the cheap with three years remaining on his contract.

What’s the verdict, then?

Well, there is no doubt that there will be interest in Dembele this summer and if either Chelsea or West Ham manage to win the race for his signature, they will be getting a player with huge potential.

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According to ESPN, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in bringing Celta Vigo youngster Pape Cheikh Diop to the Premier League in this summer’s transfer window.

What’s the story?

While the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea have all spent big this summer, it has been a quiet transfer window for Tottenham.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side have been linked with a number of players since the end of last season, but as it stands, the same squad will start the new campaign.

It would be a surprise if Spurs did not boost their squad in the final weeks of the transfer window, however, and according to ESPN, one name on the English club’s list is 19-year-old Celta midfielder Diop.

The teenager has travelled to England with the Celta squad for their pre-season friendlies against Brentford and Burnley on Saturday and Tuesday respectively, and it is understood that Tottenham will have scouts in attendance to watch the highly-rated younger in action.

Who is he?

Diop was born in Senegal, but moved to Spain at the age of 14, and has represented the European nation at Under-17 and Under-19 level.

After representing Spanish minnows Montaneros between 2012 and 2013, the youngster joined Celta’s youth set-up in 2013, and after making 21 league appearances for Celta B between 2014 and 2016, made the step into the first team last summer.

The 19-year-old managed one goal in 16 La Liga appearances for Celta last season, whilst he also played twice in the Copa del Rey during a breakthrough campaign with the Spanish club.

Rated at £680,000 by transfermarkt.co.uk, Diop is contracted to Celta until the summer of 2021, but it is difficult to imagine the La Liga outfit rejecting a healthy bid from Tottenham ahead of the 2017-18 campaign.

A powerful midfielder with a serious engine, Tottenham will seemingly watch Diop closely over Celta’s next two matches as they consider a move for the talented teenager.

Chelsea recovered from their opening-day defeat to Burnley by sealing a 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley.

The club have had a tumultuous few months since lifting the Premier League trophy in May, particularly when it has come down to transfers.

The Blues were criticised for allowing Nemanja Matic to join rivals Manchester United, while Diego Costa has shrouded the club in controversy by refusing to return.

When Antonio Conte’s men lost 3-2 to Burnley on the opening weekend, things looked bleak for the West London outfit, but the tide has begun to turn.

The unlikely hero was Marcos Alonso, who scored both of Chelsea’s goals to gain three points from their clash against Spurs.

There was a nervy end to the match after Michy Batshuayi headed into his own net to change the scoreline to 1-1, but Alonso saved his teammate’s blushes by nabbing the winner two minutes from time.

Today, Alonso reflected on the match by uploading an image of his goal celebration onto Instagram.

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Chelsea fans were quick to react to the 26-year-old’s post.

Everton manager Ronald Koeman wanted to bring in a new striker before the transfer window closed last Thursday, but he instead had to make do with the addition of Nikola Vlasic from Hadjuk Split on deadline day.

The 19-year-old forward, who Transfermarkt value at £3.6million, was one of the more impressive performers for the Croatian side when the Toffees face them in the qualifying stages of the Europa League last month, and the club and manager Koeman obviously saw enough from the teenager to want to bring him to Goodison Park so soon afterwards.

Vlasic follows the likes of Wayne Rooney, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Davy Klaassen and Sandro Ramirez to the club in terms of attacking signings, and he will need to work hard and perform well if he is to get regular minutes on the pitch for the Merseyside outfit this term.

To boost Everton supporters’ knowledge of their new man, here are five things they need to know about Vlasic…

His special debut

Vlasic showed just how highly-rated he was during his time with Hadjuk Split after being handed his first-team debut at the tender age of just 16 years and nine months in a Europa League qualifying tie against Irish side Dundalk in 2014.

It was certainly a special debut too as he also found the net, becoming the club’s youngest ever goalscorer in European competition as a result.

He went on to make an impressive 120 appearances in total for the Croatian club before joining Everton, even though he doesn’t celebrate his 20th birthday until next month.

He is a leader

Last summer, at the age of 18, Vlasic was named as the vice-captain of Hadjuk Split which shows the huge potential and leadership qualities that he has.

Even though he was the vice-skipper, he did lead the side out in a Europa League qualifier last term, and Ronald Koeman will be happy to add a young player who is clearly mature and not scared to have his say in what is going to be an important season for the club.

Family sporting pedigree

It is little surprise that Vlasic has made it as a professional sportsman considering the pedigree his family has.

His father Josko is a former decathlete who represented Yugoslavia at the 1983 World Athletics Championships and he still holds the Croatian national record for the event.

Meanwhile, Nikola’s mother Venera is a former basketball player and cross-country skier, while his older sister Blanka is a professional high jumper who won a silver medal in the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 and bronze in Rio last summer.

30,000 goals

While Vlasic certainly has impressed at youth level for Croatia and in the early years of his professional career, one of the claims his father Josko made from his younger days is, quite frankly, ludicrous.

According to an interview with sports magazine MAX! – via Bleacher Report – in 2012, Josko is said to have claimed that Nikola scored a remarkable 30,000 goals before he signed for his first football club.

It would certainly be interesting to hear more about that story and whether the proud father has any proof of his bold claim!

He will boost the Everton attack

Ronald Koeman would have known that he needed to bring goals into the team following the departure of the prolific Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United this summer, and even though he hasn’t brought in the striker he perhaps wanted, he will believe that he has enough.

Having scored 12 goals and provided a further 20 assists in 120 appearances for Hadjuk Split, Vlasic will bring a further attacking presence and goal threat to this Everton side and will add to the qualities the likes of Wayne Rooney, Sandro Ramirez and Gylfi Sigurdsson offer.

After a demoralising 3-0 defeat away to Newcastle United on Saturday, West Ham United fans appear to have finally lost patience with manager Slaven Bilic.

That heavy loss would be tough to take even if the Hammers’ form was good, but in the context of zero wins from their opening fixtures in the English Premier League and a disappointing season last term, the pressure is really ramping up on Bilic.

It’s even gotten to the stage that fans are openly discussing who they would like to arrive to take the team forward and one name is ringing out louder than others; Rafa Benitez.

It would of course be slightly ironic that the man who masterminded the win that perhaps makes Bilic’s position at West Ham untenable would be the one to take his job, but Benitez’s pedigree would certainly appear to suit West Ham.

Sky Sports reported this weekend that he was in line to be Bilic’s successor should the Croatian leave the club, so Irons fans could get their wish.

They took to Twitter in the wake of the defeat at St James’ Park to make it clear that the Spaniard was the man they wanted in charge at the London Stadium…

Manchester United’s 3-0 victory over FC Basel last night was a relatively routine win that didn’t really tell us anything new about Jose Mourinho’s side – perhaps excepting that they have the mental strength not to make a mess of their first game back in the Champions League since 2015.

Nonetheless, the sheer competence of United’s display, especially considering how many problems FC Basel have caused English clubs in European competitions down the years, was impressive and some individuals particularly stood out.

Marouane Fellaini came off the bench for the injured Paul Pogba to break the deadlock after 35 minutes, latching onto a superb ball from Ashley Young who impressed at right-back, while Daley Blind set up Romelu Lukaku following the interval and Marcus Rashford laid on a late third.

So, Red Devils fans, who was your Man of the Match from last night’s Champions League triumph at Old Trafford? Let us know by voting below…