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Roy Keane was interviewed by the Celtic board earlier this week and is now the clear frontrunner for the vacant managerial position.

That’s according to an exclusive report from Football Insider, who have been informed by a Hoops source that the former Celtic midfielder is very keen to take the job.

Keane yet to agree Celtic deal

Celtic are thought to be willing to put aside concerns over his 10-year managerial absence and are instead looking at his three recent spells as assistant manager at Ireland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, along with his Parkhead connections.

However, the report goes on to add that terms between the two parties are yet to be agreed.

Transfer Tavern take

It seems as if Celtic have stepped up their search for a new manager in recent days, which, to us, is quite a surprise.

Reports had suggested previously that the club would wait until a director of football was in place before landing a new boss.

A deal for Manchester City’s Fergal Harkin was reported as ‘90% done’ last weekend, however, nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

Perhaps a deal for Harkin is now 99% done, with Keane now in the box seat to take over from Neil Lennon.

In other news: Report shares who Keane’s number two could be after Wednesday news, find out more here. 

Speaking to Football Insider, reacting to reports West Ham have made contact over a potential summer deal for Mislav Orsic, Sky Sports regular Paul Robinson has been left wowed by the 19-goal forward and his impressive show reel.

Orsic, primarily played on the left wing but can drive through the middle, has apparently been at the centre of West Ham interest recently – with GSB even making contact over a possible transfer for the 28-year-old according to another report by Football Insider.

Speaking to the outlet, Robinson has been left baffled by Orsic and his ability – with the pundit certainly rating him judging by what he’s seen.

Robinson stunned by Orsic

The Croatian’s stunning Europa League hat-trick dumped London rivals Tottenham Hotspur out of the Europa League, with Jose Mourinho unable to hold a two-goal first leg lead.

“His shooting ability was there for all to see,” Robinson told Football Insider.

“I mean wow, he scored some fantastic goals.

“He is not a player we know a lot about in England given that he’s playing for Dinamo Zagreb but those goals showed you a lot. I watched his showreel after that and I was impressed.

“He is clearly a player with an abundance of talent and with an eye for goal.

“He used that stage to put himself in the thoughts of Premier League teams.”

Transfer Tavern take

Whether or not West Ham end up doing a deal for Orsic this summer remains to be seen, but it seems Robinson would certainly approve of the switch.

Valued at just £6.75 million by Transfermarkt, it’s clear Zagreb may want much more for their star striker.

In other news: West Ham fans flocked to this transfer report, find out more here.

Peterborough United director of football Barry Fry has told Football FanCast exclusively that he expects Everton to spend big this summer as they look to continue their push for European football.

The Toffees are currently eighth in the Premier League table but they are just five points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, such is the congested nature of the table.

Everton have suffered two dispiriting defeats in recent weeks, losing to Burnley and Chelsea, but they remain in with a shout of qualifying for Europe this season.

The Toffees have Carlo Ancelotti in the dugout and also spent big money in the summer, bringing in Ben Godfrey from Norwich City, Allan from Napoli, Abdoulaye Doucoure from Watford, James Rodriguez from Real Madrid, Robin Olsen from AS Roma and Niels Nkounkou from Marseille.

With Everton also building a new stadium that will have a capacity of 52,800, Fry believes the club have ambitions of grandeur and will splash the cash in the transfer market as they look to build a squad befitting the ground.

He told FFC:

“It’s no good building a new ground that’s wonderful and one of the best in the world if you’ve not got the players on the pitch, so I can see that. With the manager they’ve got as well, they will attract players in the summer, they will spend big money in the summer.”

Celtic’s hunt to bring a new manager to Parkhead certainly isn’t getting any easier. The Bhoys have been without a permanent boss for over a month now and Dermot Desmond is being made to look a fool as a result.

What’s the word?

Roy Keane was thought to be in talks with Celtic a number of weeks ago but the recent figurehead at the top of Celtic’s search is Eddie Howe.

He was in advanced negotiations with the Hoops last week but since then, a deal has stalled.

The longer time goes on, the more unlikely it seems the 43-year-old will move to Glasgow.

A source revealed the latest on Celtic’s pursuit to Football Insider on Tuesday as they claimed that Howe was now being eyed by Brighton.

The Seagulls have crept into a relegation battle this term and if they get rid of Graham Potter, the former Bournemouth boss could be on his way to the south coast again.

Desmond will be livid

This is the saga that simply keeps on giving. Majority shareholder Desmond is being made to look rather silly during negotiations and has been played around significantly by Howe.

First, there were issues regarding Celtic’s vacant director of football role and then it was the fact he didn’t even want to return to management until the summer.

The Bhoys have been hit with repeated setbacks but the biggest have arguably arisen in the last few days.

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Howe is now on a three-man shortlist to succeed Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace which won’t have gone down well with key officials at Parkhead.

Their pursuit could get even harder, however. With the ex-Cherries manager waiting until the summer months to make his next move, it could unlock even more avenues elsewhere.

If Brighton get relegated it may open the door for Howe to move in at the Amex.

Desmond has needed to move quickly in their pursuit of the young coach but he simply isn’t giving Celtic the opportunity. Sooner rather than later, the hierarchy will have to cut their losses and move on to another target.

They can only wait so long for Howe. This is very frustrating for all involved.

AND in other news, Forget Dembele: Celtic could save millions by unleashing rarely-seen “tricky” 18 y/o…

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that Jose Mourinho’s stature could see Tottenham land Sergio Aguero this summer.

Having recently announced that he’ll be leaving Manchester City at the end of the season, the Argentinian striker, who has netted 257 goals for the club, will be searching for a new team once his contract expires at the Etihad.

A report earlier this month from The Telegraph revealed that Aguero would consider staying in the Premier League and signing for a club that are not in the Champions League next season, and is open to joining clubs such as Chelsea and Tottenham

But whilst Windass believes that a move to north London is possible, he could only see Aguero signing for Spurs should Harry Kane head the other way or leave in some capacity, because the City striker will still want to be first-choice.

Windass told Football FanCast:

“I said no to Chelsea, because I don’t think Chelsea will win you anything. I would say yes to Tottenham because of the affinity with Mourinho – I can see that blossoming. The only way Aguero will go to Tottenham is if Harry Kane goes to Man United or Man City, because he won’t want to go and sit on the bench.

“If Kane goes the other way then there’s a bit of a deal going on, but I’m going to stick my neck on the line and say he’ll go abroad, I don’t think he’ll stay in England.”

According to a report by Eurosport, Tottenham Hotspur and chairman Daniel Levy still hope they might be able to sign Southampton star Danny Ings – but the situation has gone quiet recently as the Lilywhites also monitor other options. 

Levy still hopes to sign Ings

The 28-year-old has been linked with a move to the Lilywhites sporadically over this last year, but ‘transfer insider’ Dean Jones has provided an update.

He claims in his column for Eurosport that Spurs and Levy still hold hope over possibly signing Ings but continue to check out alternatives – with the Englishman previously touted as ideal for Tottenham.

Speaking to talkSPORT last year, former Spurs forward Darren Bent touted Ings a would-be ‘great signing’ – and another ex-Lilywhite, Jamie O’Hara, branded him a ‘perfect fit’ far more recently (talkSPORT).

Transfer Tavern take

While Ings hasn’t managed to replicate his brilliant form from last season, when he scored 22 goals in the league alone, pundit Ian Wright still recently lavished him praise – hinting he would get chances for both Man City and Liverpool (Wrighty’s House Podcast via the Focus).

Tottenham podcaster Lee McQueen, discussing the links to Ings before the end of 2020, hailed the striker as ‘phenomenal’ whilst claiming he would be an ‘unbelievable signing’ (Last Word on Spurs via This Is Futbol).

However, despite all of these plaudits, would he be a sensible purchase in this different market affected by coronavirus?

The Daily Express valued him at more than £30 million in January, but given Tottenham’s arguably more pressing need for a centre half, it will depend on exactly how much Levy is willing to shell out for a back up to Harry Kane.

In other news: Tottenham plotting swoop for this shot stopper, find out more here.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has given the thumbs up to his old side bringing in a new striker this summer.

This season, Ollie Watkins has been the first-choice No.9 at the Midlands club and has led the line well, with the 25-year-old managing to get his name on the scoresheet last time out against Fulham – his 11th league goal.

Nevertheless, Villa could still move for a centre-forward in the next transfer window. According to The Telegraph, there is a desire at Villa Park to provide Watkins with some serious competition for the 2021/22 campaign.

It remains to be seen who the Premier League outfit end up bidding for, but the decision to target a striker in the first place is the right move for Hendrie.

On the rumours that Villa are likely to buy a new No.9 this summer, the retired midfielder told FFC:

“I think sometimes when you’re in a position where you haven’t really got to look over your shoulder and see who’s coming in, if you’re having a bad game or you’re not scoring goals [it can be a problem].

“I think that [competition] is healthy in a football club. I really do because it gets people on their toes, it gets reactions out of players. If you’re not playing well, you know the next man is coming in, so it keeps everyone on their toes and that’s important, it’s really important.

“Ollie Watkins has had a free season if you like, you know, there’s been injuries to Wesley, who’s struggling to get back to full fitness.”

As well as bringing in a centre-forward, The Telegraph reports that Villa could also add a winger to their squad as owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens look to fully back manager Dean Smith.

Peterborough United Director of Football Barry Fry has told Football FanCast Liverpool only need three additions to challenge at the top end of the Premier League next season.

Jurgen Klopp’s side have struggled immensely at times this season.

The Reds drew 1-1 with Newcastle United at the weekend, as Joe Willock scored a last-gasp equaliser to snatch a point for Steve Bruce’s side.

The result has left the club sixth in the Premier League table, four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, who beat top-four rivals West Ham United on Saturday.

They are 23 points behind leaders Manchester City, a staggering climbdown from last season, when the Reds dropped points in just six games.

The result versus Newcastle means Liverpool have dropped points in 18 games, drawing nine and losing nine.

But Fry believes that the club only have to be active in the transfer window to climb back to where they were last term.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “I think all Liverpool players have played below the standards they’ve set themselves over the last two years but they’ve had two unbelievable, outstanding years, so they’ve all fallen short of that but I still feel with three or four additions they’ll be challenging for all the things next season.”

Liverpool will not be winning a trophy this season, having been eliminated from the Champions League and the FA Cup, while City won the League Cup over the weekend.

Liverpool will sign RB Leipzig centre-back Ibrahima Konate in the summer transfer window, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

If there is one area of the pitch the Reds must strengthen in this summer, it is the centre of defence. Jurgen Klopp has endured a desperate time of things in that area this season, with Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip all sidelined for many months.

Konate appears to be the front-runner to come in at the end of the season, with reports continually linking the RB Leipzig man with a move to Anfield.

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Romano talks up Liverpool’s move for Konate

Someone who has been vocal about the possibility of the 21-year-old heading to Merseyside is Romano, and taking to Twitter on Sunday, he delivered another forceful verdict on the transfer, saying:

“Said here we go days ago… he’s going to Liverpool!”

Transfer Tavern take

It does seem increasingly likely that Konate will be a Liverpool player next season, with the youngster a centre-back of huge potential. It has even been claimed recently that he could end up becoming the best in the world in that position one day, highlighting why the Reds are eyeing him up.

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Injuries are the one concern with Konate, however, considering he has already had a string of fitness issues, but the hope is that those will ease with age.

The last thing Klopp needs is another injury-prone defensive figure around, with both Gomez and Matip becoming problematic in that respect.

In other news, some Liverpool fans are excited after more talk surrounding the Reds’ interest in one player emerged. Read more here.

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Paul Stewart, who made over 160 appearances for Tottenham Hotspur, has backed Oliver Skipp to have a big season when he returns from his loan spell at Norwich City.

Skipp has started all but one league game for the Canaries this season having racked up an impressive 6.90 WhoScored rating as he has been an important player in the club’s title-winning campaign.

The 20-year old could look to impress whoever comes in as manager at Spurs this summer with his parent club experiencing an indifferent and unsuccessful campaign this season.

Speaking on if he expects Skipp to play for Spurs next season and how this loan spell has really helped his development, Stewart told FFC:

“I think he comes back to us next season and it’s been a good move for him. Spurs sent him to an ideal club in Norwich because of their style of play and I think what it’s done for Skipp is provided him with game time and allowed him to develop.

“I’ve been watching him so I genuinely think he will be a revelation when he does come back.”

Skipp made his debut for Tottenham in 2018 but this loan spell with Norwich is his first time being away from Spurs in his career having been with the under 23s and on the bench for the first team often.

Spurs are likely to appoint a new manager before deciding on anyone’s future at the club to give the new boss a chance to decide who he wants to keep. That would be good news for someone like Skipp, who barely featured under Jose Mourinho.