Eddie Howe eyes Bournemouth raid, Man United keeper move, Wolves pull plug on £17m deal

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is ready to put old club Bournemouth's resolve to the test by making a move for defender Lloyd Kelly.

Howe has moved to bring in a new goalkeeper - signing Nick Pope from Burnley earlier this week for a fee of around £10million.

But his attempts to bring in a new centre-back this summer have so far been frustrated, with a protracted pursuit of Lille's Sven Botman threatening to turn into a saga.

The Magpies chief is a massive admirer of Bournemouth captain Kelly, 23, after signing him from Bristol City in 2019.

It would take a mega offer for the Cherries to even contemplate selling their skipper, but club chiefs are aware of the admiration Kelly has for his former boss.

The other name on Howe's wish-list, as previously revealed in this column, is Manchester City's Nathan Ake.

Bachmann transfer overdrive

Manchester United will have to cough up a transfer fee to land goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann after Watford rejected the Austrian's plea to let him leave on a free.

Bachmann has been lined up by United to replace Nottingham Forest-bound Dean Henderson as David de Gea's understudy.

The 27-year-old is so desperate to make the dream move to Old Trafford, talkSPORT understands he asked the Hornets to tear up his contract.

With two years still to run on the deal, Watford are understandably keen to be properly reimbursed.

An offer of around £3m should be enough for United to get their man.

Southampton set to sell and ex-Arsenal star could go

Southampton are willing to cash in on defender Jan Bednarek as part of a summer overhaul at St Mary's.

Bednarek, 26, is one of Saints' longest-serving players after joining from Lech Poznan for £5m in the summer of 2017.

The Poland international has been told Ralph Hasenhuttl's side are open to offers for his services, with Italian pair Napoli and Roma leading the chase.

Bednarek is unlikely to be the only big-name departure from Saints with Theo Walcott and Nathan Redmond facing uncertain futures.

Walcott, 33, and Redmond, 28, do not fit the club's policy of building a young, hungry team of players they can sign for relatively modest sums and sell on at a hefty profit.

Wolves make transfer U-turn as tough summer continues

Wolves are ready to pull the plug on a deal for Argentine whizz-kid Enzo Fernandez despite sending chief scout Mathew Hobbs on a 14,000-mile round trip to persuade him to sign.

Hobbs flew out to South America with the intention of sweet-talking Fernandez, 21, into a move.

But chairman Jeff Shi appears to have decided against triggering the £17m release clause in the midfielder's River Plate contract.

Fernandez is now poised to join Benfica, leaving Wolves fans concerned about their lack of transfer activity.

With anticipated offers for Portugal midfielder Ruben Neves yet to materialise, it could be a long summer for the Molineux faithful.