Taylor’s Transfers: Liverpool U-turn, Spurs loan call, Everton £20m bid, Ozil next club

Good morning all. It’s that time that time of the week again where we delve into some of the transfer developments bubbling away behind the scenes in the Premier League and beyond. For those unaware, you can also listen to the latest from the transfer market over on my YouTube channel by clicking here, while following all the latest on my Twitter account @RyanTaylorSport. Liverpool, Spurs, Everton, Wolves and Nottingham Forest are among the clubs to feature in this week’s column…

Liverpool U-turn on Oxlade-Chamberlain

Liverpool were preparing to offload Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer but that is no longer the case following the departures of Divock Origi (AC Milan) and Takumi Minamino (Monaco).

The Reds, who have also generated an additional £53.9million through the sales of Sadio Mane, Neco Williams and Marco Grujic, are a little light on the ground in central midfield and with no new arrivals expected at Anfield, Oxlade-Chamberlain remains part of Jurgen Klopp’s plans for the new season.

Earlier in the window, there had been talk of interest from both West Ham and Aston Villa but there is seemingly no substance to those links.

The England international is currently away in Thailand with Liverpool – in top physical condition – on their pre-season tour of the Far East and, as of now, he is expected to remain with the Champions League finalists next season.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is still open to a new challenge and would likely assess any offers that arrive this summer due to his lack of minutes last season.

But unless a respectable proposal arrives, Liverpool seem unlikely to push for a sale – even though the player’s contract expires in June 2023.

The 28-year-old is a popular figure around the dressing room and Klopp is reluctant to weaken Liverpool’s squad any further, given the sheer number of matches they are expected to play next season.

Wolves want Gibbs-White contract decision

Wolves are keen to tie Morgan Gibbs-White down to a new contract after offering him a much-improved, lucrative deal in May but they are yet to receive a firm answer from their highly sought-after attacking midfielder.

Ultimately, his decision will have a huge say on a potential summer sale after Everton tabled an opening offer worth in the region of £20m for the 22-year-old.

The Toffees are now the frontrunners for Gibbs-White should he wish to pursue a new challenge, although Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace are also in the mix.

After dazzling on loan at Sheffield United last season, Gibbs-White is keen to receive assurances of regular game time from Wolves boss Lage before signing on the dotted line.

The pair are believed to have held dialogue over the Portuguese’s plans for the upcoming season but still, Wolves are yet to reach an agreement with the player.

Wolves want to keep Gibbs-White at all costs and would like to build around their academy star but he is now beginning to consider whether Molineux is the right place to elevate his game to the next level.

Tottenham faced with Tanganga call

Antonio Conte must decide whether to keep hold of Japhet Tanganga for the 2022/23 campaign amid concrete interest from both AC Milan, Bournemouth and others.

The young, robust defender is currently in South Korea putting in the hard yards with the Spurs squad on their pre-season tour but despite his commitment to Tottenham, his future remains unclear.

Injuries, particularly last season, have halted his development in north London after he burst onto the scene under former boss Jose Mourinho in the 2019/20 campaign.

Conte holds Tanganga in high regard but Tottenham’s defensive options are currently stacked with Joe Rodon and Davinson Sanchez also among those that could depart.

Milan recently held a meeting with the 23-year-old’s representatives and they remain open to a deal this summer at the right price – providing Spurs are willing to do business.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth would be keen to take Tanganga on loan following their return to the top-flight as they patiently wait for Daniel Levy and Conte to make a final call on the player’s future.

The Italian is expected to assess Tanganga in pre-season before deciding what comes next for the former England U21 international.

Forest interest in Adams

Nottingham Forest are eyeing a shock move for Southampton striker Che Adams, although the Saints are unlikely to entertain a sale unless they receive an irresistible offer.

Steve Cooper wants to add another striker to his ever-improving squad despite shelling out a club-record £17.5m fee to sign Nigerian international frontman Taiwo Awoniyi from Union Berlin.

Everton’s Moise Kean and former Leicester target man Islam Slimani are among a long list of players to have been linked with moves to the City Ground but they are not names currently of interest to the Forest hierarchy.

However, Adams is a player that the Premier League new boys are keen on, even though there’s an appreciation it would be hard to prise him away from St Mary’s this summer.

Meanwhile, Forest expect to wrap up the signing of experienced goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey from Burnley once the Clarets have secured the services of his replacement.

Vincent Kompany’s side remain in talks over a deal for the Belgian’s former Manchester City team-mate Arijanet Muric, who spent last season on loan in Turkey with Adana Demirspor.

Wales World Cup play-off hero Hennessey would be expected to provide competition for Manchester United loanee Dean Henderson following Ethan Horvath’s loan switch to Luton Town.

Ozil to stay in Turkey

Former Arsenal and Real Madrid star Mesut Ozil looks set to sign for Istanbul Basaksehir after his contract with Fenerbahce was terminated.

The 2014 World Cup winner endured a tough 18-month spell with the Turkish giants before he was brutally excluded from their squad back in March.

But Ozil is now in line to join Basaksehir on a free transfer after the Istanbul-based outfit moved quickly to enter talks with the 33-year-old.

Turkish reports suggest he could be unveiled by the end of the week, in a move that is likely to cause a stir with his former employers.

Stoke due Collins sell-on clause

Stoke City are set to profit from Wolves’ potential deal to sign central defender Nathan Collins from Burnley.

Bruno Lage’s side are in advanced talks with the Clarets over a £20.5million move for the 21-year-old Republic of Ireland international, who looks set to seal an immediate return to the Premier League following Burnley’s relegation.

The Potters are understood to have included a ‘substantial’ sell-on clause when offloading their former player for an undisclosed fee in June 2021, believed to be worth around 15 percent of any future fee.

It means they are effectively in line to land around £3m from the deal, providing an agreement can be reached between the clubs.