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Aston Villa are in talks with Liverpool over a loan move for youngster Ben Woodburn, according to The Daily Telegraph.

What’s the story?

The 18-year-old is a product of the Liverpool academy and he has gone on to make six Premier League appearances for the senior side.

The forward became Liverpool’s youngest ever goalscorer after netting against Leeds United in the League Cup Quarter Final in 2016, and the starlet is also Wales’ second youngest ever goalscorer after a certain Gareth Bale.

Woodburn has impressed for the Reds in pre-season but now Villa are reportedly firm favourites to sign the youngster on loan for the season.

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Time to shine

The Wales international has promised so much early in his career and is considered one of the brightest young prospects in the Premier League.

He has had glimpses of first-team football but with Liverpool’s attacking trio of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane so lethal, Woodburn will find it very difficult to play regular football at Anfield.

A loan move to Aston Villa makes sense for all parties, and he will hopefully return to Liverpool a much stronger player next year.

It’s likely that Jurgen Klopp will include a clause in the deal similar to Ryan Kent’s loan move to Bristol City last season, which stipulated a minimum number of games for the loanee.

It’s time for Woodburn to show why he is worth all the hype, and a spell under Steve Bruce in the Championship would give him the chance to shine next season.

Steven Gerrard is still eager to add to his squad in the summer transfer window.

Huge changes were to be expected after it was announced that Gerrard would replace Graeme Murty in the Ibrox dugout. The former Liverpool captain has wasted no time in strengthening his squad ahead of his first season in club management. Gerrard also already signed ten new players this summer.

Despite their excellent business so far, the ex-England international is still not convinced by his current crop of players. Speaking after Rangers’ win in the second round of Europa League qualifiers, Gerrard said he was “in a rush” to sign new players before the Gers kick off the season against Aberdeen on Sunday. After a deal for Manchester City’s Kean Bryan collapsed, a new centre-back is needed.

The perfect signing would be Crystal Palace stopper – James Tomkins. Valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, the Englishman has become a key player for the Eagles since joining them from West Ham back in 2016. Tomkins was crucial under Roy Hodgson as Palace avoided the drop against the odds.

The former England U21 international made 28 appearances in the Premier League and averaged a rating of 7.31 according to WhoScored; the second-highest score of any defender in the league behind only Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi. Tomkins is the no-nonsense defender that Gerrard is looking for, averaging 7.6 clearances per game last season, and also reads the game excellently; completing 2.3 interceptions per 90 minutes. His biggest strength is his aerial ability, winning 4.3 aerial duels per game last year.

If Gerrard can persuade Tomkins to make a move up north, the Gers would undoubtedly challenge for the Scottish Premiership trophy.

Rangers fans, thoughts?

According to Calciomercato, Manchester United have been handed a boost in their pursuit of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic after learning that AC Milan are looking unlikely to land his signature. 

Milinkovic-Savic showed glimpses of his quality at this summer’s World Cup tournament in Russia, but it was last season in Serie A that he really came into his own.

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12 goals and 4 assists in 35 league appearances for Lazio show that the 23-year-old has plenty of end product. The Serbian is also a powerhouse in the centre of the park, and is able to marry his intimidating physicality and athleticism with his supreme technical ability.

With rumours linking Paul Pogba with an Old Trafford exit this summer, as reported by The Guardian, the Red Devils could be in need of midfield reinforcements sooner rather than later.

Milinkovic-Savic would be the perfect replacement for the Frenchman and could do a great job as a box-to-box midfielder within Jose Mourinho’s system.

These United fans certainly think that the Lazio man would be a smart addition to their squad ahead of the new campaign…

West Brom look well equipped to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The Baggies were relegated despite a late charge under Darren Moore. The temporary boss was unable to beat the drop but impressed enough to earn the chance to guide West Brom back to the Premier League. They kicked off the season by snatching a draw away to Nottingham Forest, then beating Norwich City in a thriller. His excellent transfer business will see Albion be installed as favourites for promotion.

Moore replaced Ben Foster with Sam Johnstone as well as signing Kyle Bartley after Jonny Evans left for Leicester. Dwight Gayle also joined on loan from Newcastle with Salomon Rondon heading the other way. Despite the window closing, loan moves can still be made until the end of August.

One man West Brom should target is Chelsea outcast – Charly Musonda. Valued at £4.5m by Transfermarkt, the Belgian has endured a difficult time in England since moving from Anderlecht as a youngster. He has made just three appearances for the Blues since 2016 and was loaned to Celtic last season, but the move was ultimately cut short by Brendan Rodgers.

His best performances came during a loan spell with Real Betis back in 2016 where he made 16 appearances in La Liga. Musonda is an incredible dribbler and has bags of tricks to give defenders headaches; he made 3.6 successful dribbles per game during his time in Spain (WhoScored).

Musonda would give West Brom another dimension in attack and valuable cover in the wide areas given Nacer Chadli’s injury history. The 21-year-old has a point to prove and is determined to make a success of himself. Moving to the Championship could be the perfect move.

West Brom fans, thoughts?

Middlesbrough announced the signing of Jordan Hugill from West Ham United on loan last week, but they should boost their attack even further by attempting to sign Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham, too.

What’s the word?

Boro have started the season well by picking up seven points from a possible nine, which has put them at the top of the Championship table after three matches.

However, their summer recruitment has struggled, and manager Tony Pulis could do with a few more additions before the loan market shuts at the end of August.

The club brought in Hugill from West Ham on a season-long loan following Patrick Bamford’s move to Leeds United.

However, the demands of the Championship suggest that Boro should recruit another attacking player.

Why is Abraham the answer?

The forward may only be 20 years old, but he has proven before that he can score goals in the second tier.

In fact, during a previous loan spell with Bristol City, Abraham netted 23 goals – 26 in all competitions – and created four assists in 41 league outings.

The speedy attacker would give Pulis and Boro different dimension and potentially make them an unstoppable attacking force, and the experienced manager would not have to solely rely on Hugill to get the goals.

The West Ham forward struggled for game time following his January switch to the London Stadium and he failed to find the back of the net.

Abraham could be open to a loan switch to the Riverside due to the fact that it is highly unlikely that he will be given a chance in Maurizio Sarri’s first team at Chelsea.

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Aston Villa battled back from behind twice against promotion rivals Brentford to secure a 2-2 draw at Villa Park.

Steve Bruce’s side had to rely on Jonathan Kodjia’s goal-scoring prowess in the match on Wednesday evening, with Albert Adomah struggling to provide opportunities and earning criticism after the game from some supporters.

Villa are shaking things up in the final week of the window after securing Anwar El Ghazi on loan from Lille, while the BBC says Yannick Bolasie is set to follow from Everton as Bruce’s side edge towards a deal for the DR Congo international.

With those two acquisitions, Adomah will find it difficult to earn regular first-team appearances and some fans have expressed their desire to see the 30-year-old dropped for the forthcoming matches in favour of the new recruits.

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Adomah has featured in all four of Villa’s Championship games so far this season, providing one assist. We have assembled some of the best reactions below.

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Harry Maguire was the match-winner in Leicester City’s 2-1 win over Southampton on Saturday after a summer of speculation linking him with a move to Manchester United.

Maguire, who fired past Alex McCarthy from outside of the box in the 92nd minute to give Leicester all three points, had become Manchester United’s primary target in the transfer market after a deal to bring Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld to Old Trafford became too complicated to complete (via Sky Sports).

However, Leicester were able to fight off the Red Devils’ advances for the central defender with Maguire confirming the club had reiterated to him he was not for sale at any price (via Leicestershire Mercury).

£40.5m-rated (via Transfermarkt) Maguire was one of England’s star performers at this summer’s World Cup, so it was unsurprising to see the 25-year-old generate interest during the transfer window given his displays at the tournament.

Leicester, though, should not feel home and dry yet with Maguire still likely to be an attractive target in January or next summer, and not just to Manchester United.

Chelsea were in the market for a centre-back prior to the beginning of the new season but failed in their pursuit of Juventus’ Daniele Rugani (via Evening Standard), while there are still doubts to whether Dejan Lovren is of the standard to partner Virgil van Dijk at the heart of Liverpool’s defence.

With that in mind, it would not come as a shock if either club made a move for Maguire next year.

Maguire’s ability to pass out from the back and bring the ball out of defence so effectively makes him the ideal centre-back for managers such as Maurizio Sarri and Jurgen Klopp.

Furthermore, the King Power hierarchy must tie down Maguire to a new deal before the Premier League top six come sniffing.

Following their very successful campaign in the Championship, Wolves have taken to life back in the Premier League well.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have put in some good performances and are getting points from them having recently beaten West Ham 1-0 away at the London Stadium and held champions Manchester City to a 1-1 draw at home.

And much of the above has been down to the club’s Portuguese boss, who is starting to gain attention outside of Molineux.

The Breakdown

According to Sports Bild (via the Daily Express), Manchester United are lining up Nuno as a potential replacement for Jose Mourinho with the Portuguese coach’s future said to be uncertain amid unrest with Ed Woodward and a poor start to the season.

Nuno, however, may not be the Red Devils’ first-choice to succeed Mourinho should he depart Old Trafford with Sports Bild also reporting that Zinedine Zidane is in the running and is the club’s primary target.

Nevertheless, some Wolves supporters may still be worried with the speculation linking their manager with a move away from Molineux.

And, given what Nuno has accomplished with the club and his philosophy as a football coach, they should be.

Nuno has shown both in the Championship and already in the Premier League that the results business alone is not enough for him.

The former Porto manager wants his team to win by being on the front foot and taking the initiative.

Dominating possession and attacking in numbers are just a couple of positive traits that have become associated with a Nuno team, which is quite the contrast compared to some of Mourinho’s recent sides.

With that in mind and should Manchester United not be able to entice Zidane to Old Trafford if Mourinho leaves, then Nuno could very much be a suitable alternative that would provide United fans with the brand of football they desire.

Wolves, though, must fight off any interest for the man who has brought them back to English football’s promised land.

Everton manager Marco Silva could have a selection dilemma going into tomorrow’s Premier League fixture against Huddersfield.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the Portuguese coach mentioned that both new signing Bernard and Idrissa Gueye would miss Saturday’s game through injury, while Richarlison is still suspended.

One player who could feature, however, is Ademola Lookman with Silva confirming the English youngster trained this morning having recently picked up a slight groin injury.

And, if Silva does in fact decide to throw £10.8m-rated (via Transfermarkt) Lookman into the Everton line up, then it would be a decision that most Everton supporters would likely get behind.

Lookman had strongly been linked with a move back to RB Leipzig after a successful loan spell with the Bundesliga side during the second half of last season (via Sky Sports).

But he now looks set to remain at Goodison Park and, if that turns out to be the case, Silva must start to utilise the 20-year-old — and the upcoming match versus Huddersfield is the perfect opportunity to get things rolling.

The absence of both Richarlison and Bernard leaves room for another forward to be brought into the side, and Lookman is the ideal candidate.

With Huddersfield expected to approach the game in a very defensive manner — as they often do against decent opposition —  the Toffees could need an extra bit of quality in attack to unlock David Wagner’s two banks of four, something which Lookman can provide.

The former Charlton man is able to take the ball past defenders with his pace and dribbling ability and, ultimately, possesses the sort of technical skill that can cause a defence problems.

And the Goodison Park faithful will be hoping that defence will be Huddersfield’s.

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Midfielder Ander Herrera will see his Manchester United deal expire at the end of this season, and Everton should attempt to sign the Spaniard during the January transfer window.

What’s the word, then?

Herrera’s future at United is far from secure with the midfielder’s current deal due to expire at the end of this season.

The 29-year-old is said to be keen to stay at Old Trafford, but the Red Devils are currently stalling on offering the Spaniard a new long-term contract.

Herrera has made over 160 appearances for United since arriving from Athletic Bilbao in 2014, with 112 of those matches coming in the Premier League.

However, the midfielder is not currently first choice for head coach Jose Mourinho, and Bilbao are said to be keen on re-signing the Spaniard.

Everton should be closely monitoring developments though, with Herrera capable of becoming a firm favourite at Goodison Park.

Is the deal possible?

Everton were certainly not afraid to spend big during the summer, and would have no problems matching Herrera’s wages at United.

The two-time Spain international will be desperate for regular first-team action at this stage of his career, and despite being valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, would surely be available for less in January due to his contract situation.

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Andre Gomes is yet to play for Everton following his arrival on loan from Barcelona, but the midfielder is said to be nearing his Toffees debut.

Herrera would be the perfect player to complement Gomes in the middle of the park, and his all-action style of football would certainly make him popular with the Everton supporters.

Herrera might well fancy a fresh challenge after four full seasons at United, and it would be some signing for Everton if they managed to pull off a deal at the start of 2019.