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As reported by The Daily Star, Everton have emerged as the front runners to sign Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere, should he decide to leave the club this summer when his contract expires.

What’s the story?

Wilshere has been heavily linked with a move away from the Emirates in recent weeks and months, failing to find agreement on a new contract at the Gunners.

That drama is centred around his fitness issues for Arsenal in recent seasons, say The Star, with his recent injury problems on England duty unlikely to help his situation if he decides to leave the club this summer.

However, the paper say that Everton are showing ‘by far the strongest interest’, putting them into pole position to secure his future.

Rated at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, getting him on the cheap would be a shrewd move by the Goodison Park outfit, but is signing him a big risk considering his injury record?

Too big a risk?

There’s no doubting that Wilshere’s career has been significantly hampered by multiple injuries through the years, but a few what could be considered as normal blips aside this term, he’s managed to consistently be available for selection by Arsene Wenger.

He’s made 31 appearances in all competitions for the Gunners this term and even though he failed to feature for England during the international break, that injury was not thought to be serious.

A driven and determined central midfielder, he could be a real asset to the Toffees next season, especially if they can land him on a free transfer, effectively taking any risk away from the deal aside from wages.

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Everton are doing well to position themselves to benefit from his current situation, with interest from elsewhere reported to be less fierce.

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Liverpool fans are currently on a high following Wednesday night’s 3-0 victory over Manchester City in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.

Jurgen Klopp’s side still have to get through another 90 minutes against City in order to reach the semi-finals, but the current scoreline gives them a big advantage heading into the Etihad Stadium.

Ex-footballers and pundits have been giving their reactions to the result via media channels and on Twitter.

Manchester United legend Gary Neville tends to give impartial opinions while carrying out his punditry duties for Sky Sports, but it is no secret that the former full-back is not a Liverpool fan.

The rivalry between United and the Merseyside outfit is a fierce one, and the ex-England international stoked the fires when he posted a few tweets playing down the club’s chances of becoming Premier League champions in the near future.

Neville also chimed in when former Manchester City midfielder Joey Barton poked fun at Liverpool fans for their apparent over-the-top reaction to the midweek result.

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The pundit also had time to make a cheeky dig about the fact that a number of Liverpool’s top players have left to join other clubs over the past few seasons.

Liverpool fans obviously disagreed…

Nottingham Forest failed to impress again in the English Championship on Saturday, losing 2-0 away to play-off hopefuls Middlesbrough.

Forest have now not won a match for five games and have won just twice in their last 12 second-tier matches. It’s a run of form that must be concerning for Aitor Karanka ahead of next season, when they’ll be expected to challenge higher up the Championship table.

Just six matches remain for the Reds to show fans there is progress being made, who were again left frustrated with the result and performance.

Much of the criticism was aimed at striker Apostolos Vellios who was ineffective from the start of the match until eventually being hauled off on the hour mark for teenager Ben Brereton.

Supporters are now calling on Vellios to be dropped and even axed this summer, believing they need a higher quality of player to achieve their ambitions next term.

They took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

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It is very rare for those associated with Liverpool and Manchester United to give praise to one another, but this week there was an exception.

A handful of Liverpool supporters have hailed Rio Ferdinand for his punditry skills with BT Sport.

The former United defender, who spent 12 years playing at Old Trafford, has been in the studio for this week’s Champions League games, one of which was Liverpool’s quarter-final second leg against Manchester City.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was one of the standout players for Jurgen Klopp in the 3-0 victory at Anfield, and he maintained his form for the deciding fixture at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday night.

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Despite coming under waves of pressure from Pep Guardiola’s men, the 19-year-old managed to hold his own and contribute to the defensive effort, as well as taking the ball forward.

After the Reds secured a 2-1 victory and 5-1 aggregate triumph over City, Ferdinand and his fellow pundits Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard hailed Alexander-Arnold’s performance.

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The ex-United defender praised the youngster’s character for being able to put in an impressive display following errors in recent games against the Red Devils and Crystal Palace.

Liverpool fans gave their reactions to the comments on Twitter.

Sunderland’s 2-1 defeat at Fulham on Friday night meant that the Black Cats will finish bottom of the Championship table this season.

Indeed, Chris Coleman has been unable to lead the club away from safety, and they will start the 2018-19 campaign in League One.

Relegation had been confirmed ahead of the clash with Fulham, but it was a vital match for the Cottagers as they looked to return second position in the table.

The two teams were locked at 1-1 until the 76th minute of the match, when on-loan Newcastle United forward Aleksandar Mitrovic headed Fulham into the lead.

Mitrovic, who has recently been linked with West Ham United, could not buy a minute of Premier League football for Newcastle in the first half of the season, but the striker has been in sensational form since moving to Fulham.

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Indeed, the 23-year-old has managed 12 goals in 16 Championship matches for a Fulham side that have moved above Cardiff City into the position behind Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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The Newcastle supporters absolutely loved the turn of events, with many taking to social media to poke fun at their bitter rivals Sunderland.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

According to The Guardian, Everton are hopeful of being able to convince Paris Saint-Germain defender Yuri Berchiche to move to the Premier League at the end of the season.

What’s the story?

Everton are expected to be busy in this summer’s transfer window as they look to close the gap on the top six in the Premier League during the 2018-19 campaign.

A number of players have been linked with the Toffees in recent weeks, and according to The Guardian, PSG full-back Berchiche is very much on the club’s wish-list.

The 28-year-old is said to be considering his future in Paris, and La Liga duo Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao are both believed to be admirers.

According to transfermarkt.co.uk, Berchiche is valued at £15.3m, and there is no question that Everton would be interested at that price.

Would Berchiche fit in at Everton?

Leighton Baines is certainly not getting any younger, and Everton do not exactly have a wealth of options when it comes to the left-back position, which has been an issue with the club’s fans.

Berchiche joined PSG on a free transfer from Real Sociedad last summer, and the Spaniard has scored twice and provided five assists in 29 appearances for his French club this season.

The defender is a full-back capable of both attacking and defending to a high standard, and actually started his professional career with Tottenham Hotspur, which included a loan spell at Cheltenham Town back in 2009.

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The former Spain Under-17 international has come a long way since then, and has more than held his own at PSG during the 2017-18 campaign.

Everton will face competition from a number of clubs if they wish to sign Berchiche this summer, but it could turn out to be a very smart piece of business from the Toffees if they manage to pull it off.

Hector Bellerin has told Arsenal that he wants to remain at the club beyond the summer, according to Sky Sports. 

That is a major boost for whoever the club’s new manager is because he has enough to sort out at the Emirates without worrying about replacing one of the few promising players in the current setup.

What’s the story, then?

The report states that Bellerin – who is valued at £36m by Transfermarkt – wants to remain at the Emirates Stadium next season as he is happy at the club.

He says he will definitely be at the club next season, despite the fact that the identity of Arsene Wenger’s successor is still unknown and that the club faces a second straight season in the Europa League.

It goes on to say that Bellerin is settled in London and that he believes that the future is so bright at the club that they will challenge again for the title.

Bellerin’s words help the new manager

Bellerin’s progression has undoubtedly stalled in the last season or so but he is a hugely promising young right-back and there are other positions in which Arsenal’s new boss will need to make alternations or invest this summer.

After the departure of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, it is also another promising sign that developing players still want to remain at the Emirates, feeling they can improve and compete for trophies there.

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Also, the new manager will not want to face an exodus so the commitment of a popular player is a real plus point for him before he even arrives.

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According to the Manchester Evening News, Paris Saint-Germain will attempt to beat Manchester United to the signature of Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred this summer.

What’s the story?

It is not exactly a secret that Fred is expected to move on from Shakhtar in this summer’s transfer window, and a number of clubs are interested in signing the midfielder.

Manchester City and Liverpool have previously been linked, but it had been thought that United had taken the lead in the race to acquire the Brazilian’s services.

However, according to the Manchester Evening News, free-spending Ligue 1 outfit PSG will provide stiff competition for the 25-year-old’s signature ahead of the 2018-19 campaign.

It is understood that Fred has a £53m release clause in his current contract, and Ukrainian giants Shakhtar will reportedly hold out for that figure due to the interest surrounding a player that has been included in the Brazil squad for the 2018 World Cup.

Just how good is he?

The answer is very good, and potentially sensational. The midfielder started his professional career with Internacional before switching to Shakhtar in the summer of 2013.

Fred has made over 150 appearances during his time in Ukraine, and has been in fine form this season – scoring four times and registering seven assists in 37 appearances.

Standing at little over 5ft 6inches, Fred is not exactly the most physically-imposing footballer in the world, but there are simply no doubting his qualities on the ball.

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The midfielder, who is valued at £28.8m by transfermarkt.co.uk, also possesses an incredible ability to get around the pitch, and would be perfect to slot in alongside Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic at United next season.

PSG are also in the hunt for a new central midfielder, however, and it is not a surprise that they have reportedly expressed an interest in the seven-time Brazil international.

Former Sevilla and Paris Saint-Germain boss Unai Emery is reportedly one of the frontrunners for the vacant West Ham United manager’s job, after it was announced on Wednesday that David Moyes’ expiring contract wasn’t going to be extended.

The Spaniard is out of a job having been sacked by PSG following a disappointing campaign in which they were knocked out of the Champions League at the round of 16 stage by Real Madrid, and he may well be looking for a quick route back into football.

Whether that will be at the London Stadium remains to be seen, but Irons joint-owner David Sullivan said in a statement on Thursday that the east London outfit are close to appointing a manager “who has a proven record of success at the highest level of the game”, and he certainly fits into that category given that he has won the Europa League on three occasions, as well as the Ligue 1 title this term.

If the 46-year-old does get the gig, he may well be keen to bring players he has worked with previously with him to the capital, and that could include stars from the French club and Sevilla.

Here are three players West Ham could sign with Emery connections, if he is appointed…

With Joe Hart returning to Manchester City following an unsuccessful spell and some doubts still remaining over whether Adrian should be the number one on a regular basis despite an impressive end to the season, a new goalkeeper could be one of West Ham’s priorities in the transfer market this summer.

If it is Emery that takes the vacant job, he may well be tempted to try and bring Sevilla number one Sergio Rico to the London Stadium.

The Spaniard knows the 24-year-old well following his time with the La Liga outfit, and his 6ft 5in tall frame and record of 58 clean sheets in 169 appearances in all competitions for Sevilla means he would be a great addition between the sticks.

With Jose Fonte leaving for China in February, James Collins set to leave when his contract expires next month and Winston Reid continuing to be hampered by injury issues, West Ham have been left short at centre-back in the last few months.

Aaron Cresswell is just one of the players that deputised in the three-man defence under David Moyes, and should Emery be the Scot’s successor at the London Stadium he will perhaps want to bring in one – and perhaps even two – new central defenders.

Carrico was a regular for Sevilla when Emery was at the helm, but injuries and falling out of favour in general since the Spaniard left the La Liga club could mean that the 30-year-old is ready for a new challenge this summer, and it could be with the Irons.

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With Cheikhou Kouyate and Mark Noble often struggling for form this season, one of West Ham’s transfer priorities this summer will surely to bring in a new defensive/central midfielder – something they failed to do last year or in January despite that being what Slaven Bilic and David Moyes wanted respectively in the separate windows.

Nzonzi has become one of Sevilla’s most important players in recent seasons after Emery brought him to the La Liga outfit in 2015, and while the 29-year-old is effective defensively because of his height and power, he is also useful from an attacking point of view because of the quality of his passing and his ability to create.

Do you agree, West Ham fans? Let us know below.

Tom Davies’ Everton career has regressed this season, but can the young Englishman find his form under Marco Silva?

When Tom Davies broke into the Everton side, there were real hopes the Toffees had just found their next great local talent.

The 19 year-old scored a fabulous goal in last year’s famous 4-0 win over Manchester City, but has struggled for form this year.

Of course, the entire Toffees’ team has struggled, as the torrid run of form under Ronald Koeman cost the Dutchman his job, and the arrival of Sam Allardyce certainly didn’t help exciting young talents like Davies.

The young midfielder scored just twice in 33 Premier League appearances this season though, and was really poor at times alongside the likes of Wayne Rooney and Idrissa Gueye in midfield.

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Everton have been strongly linked with Abdoulaye Doucoure due to the Watford midfielder’s connection with incoming manager Marco Silva, and the arrival of the towering Frenchman could set Davies even further back.

Gueye is unlikely to lose his starting spot, and with the likes of Davy Klaassen and Gylfi Sigurdsson fighting for the more advanced midfield positions, the potential arrival of Doucoure, or the heavily linked William Carvalho, could destroy Davies’ Everton career before it’s really even begun.

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Silva and new director of football Marcel Brands are clearly wanting to make some major moves in midfield, so will Davies be a flop under the Portuguese tactician?

Everton fans, do you think Davies has what it takes to make it at Everton? Can he survive under Silva? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…